The Grayson Guide To Flying
by purplepiano4
Summary: A series of one-shots based off of the life of Dick Grayson. cute and fluffy, lots of daddybats. Takes place from ages 5-13. All oneshots will most likely be different. Chapter 15: Clarity for a Young Justice writer
1. Shadow fighter

**A/N: Hey! So this is the first chapter to this new series. I took on the classic 'nightmares' challenge, but with a different twist. Richard does wake up from a nightmare, but that's not what he's scared of at the moment. So, let's see what happens:D**

**Also, I've de-aged dick to 5 years old, just to add to the cuteness factor. :3 there's lots of fluffy fluff in here, and of course, some daddybats.**

**Allllllllllllsssssssoooooooo ooooooo- Richard hasn't become Robin just yet, but he knows that Bruce is batman. I might do a 'discovery' chapter later on; im not sure yet. I just wanna see what happen with this one.**

**And finally, disclaim. : I, Arrow, do not own any of the characters used. That's all D.C. (Sadness.)**

**Ok. I'm gonna let you read now. But please please please let me know what you think:D –thanks!-**

Richard Grayson's baby blue orbs opened slowly. He rolled over in his bed (facing the door) and curled up in a tight ball. He hated waking up in the middle of the night. Sure, he was almost 6 years old, but he was still scared of the shadows that danced across the walls. He never particularly liked the dark, but he wasn't afraid of it either. He was a big boy! He could handle a few hours without the sun. …right?

Wrong. He _was _scared of the dark. He just didn't want to admit it to Bruce.

Richard sat up and rubbed his eyes, his hands curled up into small fists. His ebony hair was sticking up in all directions, mostly from sleeping, but also because his hair was usually just messy. Nobody complained though, not even Alfred, because to be honest, it was just plain adorable.

Richard pulled his short legs up and tucked them under his chin; his dark blue footsie pajama's snug and warm over his body. He glanced around his room warily. Shadows. They were EVERYWHERE. Big, scary shadows that crept from his windows and across the room. He whimpered.

No. he was a boy. He could handle it.

More shadows came now. Some quick; flashing across his vision. Others lingered, moving slightly in a swaying motion.

Richard's eyes filled with tears. Ok. Maybe he couldn't handle it.

He remembered when he was younger, how he would jump out of his bed and run for his mom and dad as soon as he saw the first shadow. His mommy would pull him into her lap and rock him back and forth while his dad would tell him stories about dark knights catching bad guys and saving the day. He remembered his favorite story, about a man that could run faster than fast, running circles around villains and capturing them before they could even blink. While his dad finished the stories, his mom would tuck his favorite stuffed animal, Peanut, under his arm and promise that he would scare the shadows away. Then, he parents would put him back to bed, and kiss him goodnight.

Big, sloppy tears slid down Richard's face as he remembered this. He missed his parents so much. He didn't have much left of them; he was only allowed to take a few things from his old home. A poster of 'The Flying Grayson's' hung proudly in his room in the mansion. He still had his old costume, as well as his parents wedding rings which he kept on a silver chain in his nightstand, and of course, Peanut.

_That's it! _ Dick thought happily. _Peanut can chase the shadows away again!_

Richard sniffed slightly and searched his bed for the beloved stuffed animal.

When his hands came up empty, he crawled off his bed and looked around room.

He sniffed again. Tears were starting to well up in his blue orbs once again. The shadows danced some more, as if they were taunting him.

_Maybe they took Peanut when he was sleeping.._ Dick thought as a small sob escaped his lips.

More tears, fast and hot drippled down his flushed cheeks as his search became more frantic.

"Peanut!" The small boy whispered urgently. "Peanut!"

No answer. Richard sobbed again.

The small boy got down on his hands and knees, crawling halfway under his large bed. "Peaaaanuttttt!" He called a little louder, hoping that his beloved stuffed animal would hear him and come back.

It was so dark. The kind of darkness that made everything in your room look scary. The kind of dark that made you want to curl up in a little ball and block it all out.

So, that's what he did.

Bruce Wayne sat at his polished oak table, trying to stay awake. In front of him was a litter of papers, all needing to be read, approved, and signed. By him.

The billionaire groaned, stretching him arms above his head as he yawned loudly, glancing over at the clock as he did so.

2:35.

_Great. _He thought grumpily. _At least I already finished patrol._

But, to be honest, at the moment, he would rather deal with Gotham's worst, instead of his mountain of paper work.

Bruce sighed, cracking his fingers and picking up his pen yet again. He skimmed through another document, scribbling his name sloppily at the bottom.

_I might regret that later...Ah screw it. _He thought as he quickly read through two more papers, adding his initials when needed.

He set his pen down once more as he ran a hand through his hair, wishing he could be anywhere else.

"Is there a problem, Master Bruce?" Alfred, his trusted butler asked as he walked through the door of Bruce's office.

Bruce jumped slightly, surprised that he had not heard the man coming. _Man, I'm having an off day._

He sighed, glancing over at the older man who had busied himself with dusting a shelf. At 2 in the morning. Go figure.

"You could say that." The billionaire sighed, gesturing to the papers covering his desk.

Alfred set down his duster and walked over to the large desk, picking up the closest document and studying it briefly.

"Well," The Englishman started, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "Considering that you signed an agreement to paint the Wayne towers purple, it would be a safe bet."

Bruce's eyes widened. _ Paint the…. Who the heck would want to..._

He groaned, dropping his head to his hands tiredly. "I don't even understand why I have to _do_ any of this anyway."

Alfred chuckled, patting Bruce's shoulder. "That, Master Bruce, is just part of the job. Someda-"

Suddenly, a small noise sounded through the hall, causing both men to look over in confusion.

Bruce stood up quickly, eyes flitting to Alfred, then back to the hall. "Was that..?"

The two exchanged glances momentarily, before bolting out of the room.

Bruce stopped in front of his young ward's door, pulling it open swiftly; Worry clearly displayed in his and Alfred's eyes.

Their hearts broke at the sight in front of them.

Richard was lying on the floor by his bed, his small body pulled into a tight little ball. Tears poured out of his baby blue eyes, which, at the moment, were clenched tightly closed in fear. His tiny shoulders shook as he cried, sobs escaping his trembling lips.

The billionaire ran forward, kneeling down on the ground and pulling Dick into his lap. The boy turned into his father's chest, sobbing louder.

Bruce's eyes were wide with worry and confusion. He hugged the small boy close, trying his best to console the 5 year old.

He waited until the boy calmed himself down a little, before asking "Dick? What happened? Are you ok?"

Richard opened his teary blue eyes, snuggling closer into his adopted father's arms. He balled his tiny hands into fisted and rubbed his eyes, whimpering slightly as he thought about Peanut.

"I-I wass scawed. I sawed da shadows, and dey were awwlll ober da pwace. And I 'membered what my mommy and daddy." He sniffed, eyes glistening. "used to do when I got scawed. Dey used to give me Peanut to scawe da shadows 'way, but I ca-can't fin-d hii-m any-where." He finished, tears welling up dangerously fast in his baby blue eyes.

Bruce hugged his son closer, his expression saddening. The poor kid was terrified, he could tell by the way his words where slurred, and all of his r's lisped. That only happened when Dick was extremely excited, or scared. The billionaire could still feel the boy shaking, his breath unsteady as he cried some more.

_Peanut? What's Peanut?_ Bruce thought in confusion. He felt bad for not knowing what it was that his son wanted. Actually, it hurt. Seeing that the boy was _this _upset, and he had no idea how to fix it.

_What kind of father am I anyway? _He thought bitterly as he tried and failed to comfort Dick.

Richard squirmed suddenly, trying to get out of his father's hold. Bruce let his arms drop as the boy got to his feet, sliding slightly on the wooden floors.

The boy steadied himself as he took a shaky breath. Then, without warning, he bolted out of the room.

"Dick!" Bruce called after him, jumping to his feet and racing after the boy.

"Richard! Wait!" he ran down the hall after the blue clad boy, who, at the moment, had a head start.

Richard ran down the stairs of the mansion, wiping at his eyes with his sleeved arm.

"I gotsta find Peanut! He's gonna make the shadows go 'way!" the little boy called behind him, running right past Alfred, who had gone downstairs after hearing the boy's problem.

"Master Richard!" The Englishman called as Bruce sent him a pleading look. The billionaire finally caught the tiny boy as he zoomed past the two adults once more, re checking the living room for his stuffed elephant. The boy kicked his legs from his spot under Bruce's arm, trying to escape his grip.

"Wet go! Wett gooooo!" he cried, eyes displaying a hurt that made Wayne's heart drop.

"Dick! Calm down!" the billionaire pleaded, holding tight to the squirming child. "I'll help you find Peanut, just stop for a second! You're going to hyperventilate!" He was desperate. It was late, and he was running on no fuel, (a.k.a. coffee.) plus, he was beyond worried about his son.

"Master Richard." Alfred said softly, stepping forward with a tray of hot chocolate (one of the only things that could calm Dick down after one of his nightmares.) "I should have informed you about this sooner, but I didn't expect that Peanut would be missed so soon." The butler chuckled as he set the shiny silver tray down, revealing a newly washed stuffed elephant that was tucked carefully under his arm.

"Peanut!" the boy shrieked, stretching his arms out excitedly, opening and closing his fists much like he did when he wanted to be picked up. Bruce gave a sigh of relief as he set Richard down, who grabbed the elephant and squished it close to his body. He buried his face on the stuffed animal's head as he steadied his breath, hugging it as tight as he could.

After a couple moments, the little boy ran forward, hugging Alfred around the legs.

"Thanks Alfie! I thought he gots kidnapped or somefinn.." The little boy smiled up at the butler, who smiled warmly back at the little boy, patting his head.

"You're quite welcome, Master Richard. I do apologize for not informing you about this; I thought it would make a nice surprise."

" s'okay!" Richard said, his normally bubbly personality returning as he held Peanut under his arm, pulling himself up onto the chair next to the one that Bruce had slumped into.

" Bwuce?" The ebony haired boy asked, poking the billionaire's arm.

"Hmm?" was his tired reply.

"I sowwy..." Dick said quietly, using Peanut as a pillow on the cold surface of the kitchen counter.

Bruce lifted his head, opening his eyes to meet the boy's bright blue ones. "You don't have to apologize for anything. It's ok to be scared sometimes."

Dick looked down. "Batman doesn't get scared." He grumbled, causing Bruce to chuckle.

"Well, you gave Batman quite a scare tonight. So I'd say that counts." He said, ruffling the boy's messy hair.

Dick smiled sheepishly, cheeks flushing under the tear tracks.

Alfred smiled as he placed the mug of much-needed hot chocolate in front of Dick, who beamed, sipping it gratefully. He swung his little legs against the chair, eyes dropping tiredly as he winded down.

Alfred chuckled as he turned to Bruce. "I suspect you would prefer a different drink?" he joked, already knowing the answer.

Bruce nodded, smiling as he watched his son fondly.

Then, sparing a quick look at the clock, he stifled a yawn._ Ugg. The paperwork._

"Oh yeah…Coffee. Black."

**Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd finished! Wow. This took me a really long time to write. It's currently 12:30 in the afternoon, but I've been working on this since 10. Plus, I was writing from 11:30 last night till about 2:30 in the morning. Buuuuuuuuut before that, I wrote almost all of the beginning about two weeks ago, but I ended up taking a break to finish **_**brothers and bullies**_**. So, it was a process. I took some of this from past experiences when I was younger, as well as when my little brother was younger. And I'm getting distracted because my family is playing that app logo quiz and they sound hilarious :D. Haha. Okkkkkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaaay moving on. Umm... Oh yeah! I'm going to be taking requests really soon so get your ideas together! I'm going to post maybe 4 more chapters first, so stay tuned! Same bat-time, same bat- channel!**

**-Arrow**


	2. The 'perks' of the real job

Bruce Wayne sat in his large office on a Saturday afternoon, the setting sun shining an annoying glare across his laptop screen. The billionaire's typing fingers slowed. He had to get this report done; Wayne corps. stocks were not going to wait for that oversized light bulb to go down. Eyes narrowing, his pushed himself out of his chair with a huff. Swiftly, he walked over to the large window out looking the mansion's gardens and snapped the curtains shut, tugging will a little more force than necessary.

He was not in a good mood.

Yesterday, the billionaire had spent his entire Friday in one of the most pointless business meetings he had ever attended. It should **not **take a whole day to decide which laptop model would be purchased to replace the old ones. His coworkers had argued back in forth between two types while Wayne slumped in his chair. After about 4 hours of nonsense about 'power point capability' Bruce had stood up, straightened his suit coat, and announced that if they would all shut the hell up, he would personally fund for _both_ models. Then he left, wondering why he hadn't said anything sooner.

His day had gotten a lot better when he had gotten home though. He had been attacked by a 6 year old boy the second he walked through the door. The playboy's mood had been lifted tremendously as he walked through the hall, Richard skipping by his side, telling him some kind of story about how his favorite toy car had somehow found itself wedged down the kitchen sink's drain. Bruce had had a good laugh when Dick did his impression of Alfred discovering the car. Alfred, on the other hand, was not very pleased.

The rest of the night had been the usual routine at Wayne manor, until it was time to put Dick to bed.

"_No!" The little boy pouted, arms crossed over his chest._

"_Richard..." Bruce warned, not wanting to deal with tantrum. _

"_No no no!" The little boy shook his head furiously, the pout on his lips growing._

"_C'mon Dickie. The sooner you go to bed, the sooner you get to play in the morning. "The billionaire tried to coax the boy, but to no avail._

"_But I wanna play nooooooooooooooowwwwwww." He retorted, his whine reminding Bruce of his age. He always forgot that he was dealing with a 6 year old boy._

_Bruce picked the boy up and hauled him up the stairs "Well you can't. You need to go to sleep." He told Richard firmly as he placed him in bed. _

_Dick's bright blue eyes had glistened with tears, forcing Bruce to look away quickly. He tucked the boy in and flicked the light switch off, sparing a quick glance at his face before he closed the door behind him. It broke his heart, but he had to learn to say no to Richard, no matter how much it upset him._

After a while, he had decided to start typing up his monstrous stock paper. He had written about a page and a half when Alfred had knocked on his door, informing him that the bat signal was up.

Bruce, or rather batman, arrived back at the manor around 4 in the morning cut, bruised, frozen, and highly aggravated.

'_Freaking freeze rays.' He grumbled as his climbed up stairs. The playboy had already abandoned his bat suit back in the cave, now wearing sweat pants and an undershirt._

_His trudged down the hall towards his room, pausing shortly in front of his son's door. His hand hesitated on the shiny brass handle before he dropped it with a sigh. _

'_Richard's fine.' The playboy told himself as he shut the door to his own room behind him. _

Wayne had gotten about 3 hours of sleep before he was woken up by a very hyper blue eyed boy.

'_c'mooooooooooonnnnn bruce! We're gonna miss all the new cartoons!" dick called, sliding down the stair rail after pulling the man out of bed._

'_At least Richard's ok."Bruce thought as he made his way down the stairs, smiling gratefully at Alfred as he was handed a large mug of coffee._

_He sat down in living room, pulling dick onto his lap as he did so. The 6 year old leaned back, snuggling into his chest as the billionaire ran his hand through his dark ebony hair._

_Bruce sipped his coffee, trying to wake himself up. About half way through his mug, a thought hit him. 'i still have to finish the stocks. I think I left it up on my laptop before I went out last night.'_

'_Shit'. He thought tiredly, groaning inwardly. He once again picked up his young ward, who was so engrossed in the T.V. that he barely noticed when he was placed back down on the couch. He looked over at his father briefly a look of...excitement? __**(a/n; be sure to read my note at the bottom:) **__before turning back to the screen._

At the time, Bruce didn't think much of it. He mind was just clearing as the coffee worked its magic, so it wasn't really something that stood out to him.

_1931881321 _his fingers typed quickly, gliding over the keys as the final set of numbers appeared on the glowing screen.

'_Finally.' _ Bruce let out a long sigh of relief as the document was email to Wayne towers. It had already been almost 8 hours. Sometimes he hated his job.

_Bing!_ _ Email sent._

"Mr. Wayne! There you are!" Bruce's secretary called out to him as his strode through the glass doors of Wayne corp. Monday morning. He adjusted his tie briefly, straightening it out as a familiar smirk graced his lips.

"Here I am." He joked, holding out his arms.

The girl behind the tall glossy desk giggled, tucking her short blonde hair behind her hair as she shook her head.

'_Typical Bruce.'_ She thought to herself as she spun in her swivel chair, grabbing a small stack of papers from the printer. She turned back to Bruce, who was now leaning his arms casually on the top of the desk.

"I've been getting calls all morning. It seem you've make a...mistake. With the stocks?"

The playboy raised an eyebrow. "Have I?"

"It appears so. It was something about..." she paused, shuffling the papers, eyes skimming over the text until she found what she was looking for. A smile crept onto her lips as she handed the paper to Bruce.

"this." She pointed to a paragraph near the top of the page.

Bruce's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his navy blue eyes skimmed over the words.

"It seems that Mr. Grayson has decided to include some input about Japan's portion of the money." She said, covering her mouth as she tried to hold back another giggle.

Bruce's eyes widened. Of course he hadn't proof read any of it! He was tired and grumpy...and he just wanted to get it all done. But when had..?

Then it clicked.

**Hehe:) done! Well, almost. I wanted to give you guys something for reviewing! Soooooooooo here's what I'm going to do. If you have already left a review, then I'll pm a part-2 to you by... Either tonight or tomorrow. If you haven't reviewed yet, you can still get part two! All you have to do is include the word 'aster' in your review. (Or the whole word, doesn't matter.) And there you go! This is just a thank you to all the reviewers! I really appreciate it! You guys motivate me to write :)**

**Also, I am back in school now, so I don't have as much time to write. But fear not! You should expect a new one-shot every Friday night. If not by Friday, than defiantly Saturday. (Don't worry though haha, it'll most likely always be Friday.)**

**And finally, requests! I will be excepting them after Friday, so start thinking!**

**Oh! By the way! Can anybody figure out what that set of numbers stood for?**

**Until Friday,**

**-Arrow.**


	3. Nicknames

**A/N: I'm sorry! I had a crazy day yesterday. School sucked. I was legit sitting there in my English class staring at the clock, counting down until I could get outta there. High school is the worst. -_- now I'm stuck with a crap load of homework. Ugg. Haha anyway, I got another chapter idea when I was in science, so I pulled up the sleeve on my hoddie and wrote it on my arm. With a sharpie. Haha. I couldn't find a pen…ok. I'm totally off topic. oh! by the way, i updated my username from 4purpletides to purplepiano4. Don't worry, its still me. just a different pen name.**

**So, in conclusion, I'm really sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! **

**Dick is around the same age. (5ish.)**

"Coming!"

Bruce smiled slightly as he walked into the kitchen, the soft patter of Dick's running feet from upstairs.

The notorious playboy had taken in the boy about 3 months ago, which had caused some drastically changes around Wayne manor. One thing had become evident following Dick's arrival; he had singlehandedly brought life back to the home. His laughter echoed through the halls during the days, and his happy personality brightened every room.

Of course, with all the good things, also came the bad. The five year old was plagued with nightmares on most nights, leaving him sobbing for a good hour. He also had trouble with his English at times, and was prone to switching to Romani; especially after he had the dream about his parents. This had forced both Bruce and Alfred to try and learn the language, which hadn't gone as well as they had hoped.

The little boy had his bad habits as well, like using the glass chandelier in the hall, and the banisters of the stairs, and the tall bookshelves, and Bruce as his own personal jungle gyms.

And he had his adorableness, such as the 'But Bruuuuuuuuuuceeeeeee' puppy dog eyes he had mastered in a matter of weeks, much to the billionaire's dismay.

As time went on, Bruce Wayne had found that he just couldn't imagine his life without the little ball of hyper anymore. Which is why, when he was asked after the first month if he would be keeping Richard with him, he had almost laughed at the social worker. Instead, he had settled for a charming smile and a very subtle "duh."

The young boy ran into the kitchen, slidding a shiny blue matchbox car across the wall as he made his way to the glossy table lined with plates and silver wear.

Alfred chuckled as the ebony haired boy zoomed past him, tiny car wheels spinning as they rolled across the fancy oak surface.

Soon after the boy had gotten a little more adjusted to life at the mansion, he discovered the bat cave_. _From that point on, as much as Bruce hated to admit, life got easier.

Dick giggled, his baby blue orbs shinning as he swerved the car around utensils and cups. The acrobat ducked under the table, popping up on the other side as he pursed his lips, trying to imitate the sound of an engine.

Bruce smiled as he crouched down, grabbing the boy as he ran past. Squealed filled the room as Richard was hoisted up in the air over his father's head.

The blue eyed boy laughed, trailing his car through the air like it was following an invisible road.

'_C'mon Dickie! Let's go back to the trailer for dinner.' Richard Grayson smiled, running forward to catch up with his father. John Grayson was muscular, mostly from years off gymnastics, and had the same shade of dark ebony hair as his son. He wore a white tank top and white pants; two light blue stripes running up the sides of his legs and across his chest. He had a wide, friendly grin that he flashed to everyone he passed while he walked out the large red and white canopy tent. The man radiated with happiness, and it was contagious. His son skipped along next to him, reaching up to hold his hand. The blue eyed boy wore a similar costume, minus the set of sky colored bands he sported across his small wrists. _

_The boy's father waved to a fellow performer as they made their way outside. _

'_Your skills are improving greatly, Richard. Keep up the good work and I know you'll be able to land that triple flip for next week's show.' _

'_I can do it! S'long as I get to practice with you and mommy tomorrow. I bet I could get a quaddd...quuaadr… 4. 4 flips! '_

_John laughed, reaching down to ruffle his son's dark locks. _

'_If you believe that, __Prihor__, then you can do it. I know you can.' The man leaned down and picked up the 5 year old, hugging him close. 'You've got drive, Dickie. It's a trait that not many people have. Use it well.'_

_Richard nodded, hugging his dad around the neck and ducking his head against the man's strong shoulder as he climbed the steps of their small home. The door swished open, immediately following the smell of basil and tomatoes._

'_Hi honey, sweetie.' A slim woman with strawberry blonde hair walked forward, wiping her hands on the front of her apron as she greeted her boys._

'_Hi!' both said in unison, not knowing who got which nickname. The women laughed, leaning forward to kiss her husband on the cheek before the little boy in his arms reached out for her._

_John passed him over to the women before sitting down at their small table. 'Smells good Mary. Spaghetti?'_

'_Mmhmm.' _

'_Yay!' Richard squealed from her arms. 'I love your s'ketty mommy!'_

_Mary smiled, tickling the little boy's tummy as she sat him down in a chair.' I know you do honey. That's why I made it; to celebrate a job well done!'_

'_Thanks mommy! Hey guess what! Daddy thinks I'll be able to do a quadruu...4 flips!' the boy gushed, blue orbs wide with excitement._

_The women turned towards her husband, shooting him a look that screamed 'what were you thinking!? He's going to get hurt!' in return, John gave her a sheepish grin that answered 'don't worry. I won't let him get hurt.'_

_Mary sighed, nodding back as she placed a bowl of spaghetti in front of her eager son._

'_fanks mommeee!' Richard called mouth full of pasta._

'_Manners,__ pu__ț__in_ _pasăre.__' She laughed, wiping sauce off of his face with a napkin._

_A couple of hours later, John and Mary Grayson found themselves struggling with a stubborn 5 year old…again._

'_Richard. You have to go to bed.' The blonde stated sternly, taking the hyper boy by the hand and leading his to his bed._

'_Awwwwwwwww. Mooooooooooommmmmmmmmmeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeee!'_

_John laughed as his son stomped around, throwing a very dramatic tantrum. Swiftly, he came up behind the boy and scooped him up, successfully cutting off his whining. Richard squealed in surprise as he was hoisted in the air above his father's head._

'_The quicker you go to bed, the quicker you can fly in the morning,'_

_Dick laughed as he was tossed in the air, and easily caught by the man's strong arms. _

'_Ok. But only so I can fly when we wake up.'_

_John plopped the boy down in his bed while Mary pulled the covers up over his body, both smiling down at their son in amusement._

_The two Grayson's leaned down to kiss the young acrobat's forehead as he shut his eyes._

'_Of course, our __pu__ț__in_ _pasăre_. _Sleep tight,_ _prihor._

Richard's blue eyes shimmered with tears as he looked down at Bruce. The man immediately put the boy down in confusion.

"Dick? What…"

The little boy turned away, wiping his eyes as he picked up his toy car. Then, he put on a fake smile and pulled himself into a chair.

"Sorry. I just 'membered somefinn about my mommy and daddy. Something they used to call me."

Bruce gave the boy a sympathetic look before sitting down next to him, deciding that it would be best not to pursue the topic any further.

"Good night Richard." The billionaire whispered after he finished the boy's bedtime story.

The acrobat was curled up on his side, his dark, choppy hair resting over his closed eyes.

Bruce smiled slightly before turning to shut the door.

"Prihor"The single word was mumbled softly, barely picked up by the playboy's trained ears.

He turned back; looking at his ward's curled up form.

"what?"

The boy cracked one bright blue eye open, a small smile resting on his lips.

"That's what my parents used to call me. Prihor."

Bruce nodded, navy eyes holding a soft expression. "What does it mean?"

Richard closed his eye, sighing quietly as he rolled over.

"Robin."

**-Arrow**


	4. Tiny heroes

**A/N: Oh jeez. I did it again. I'm so sorry guys. I'm a whole bunch of days late. I hate having to give you my excuses. Honestly, this week was so crazy I just got really behind with my writing. I've got a lot of pressure going on with school… and I really hate to say it, but until I get back into the swing of things, I can't promise a chapter for every Friday. I try to, but I really hate rushing through my writing. So, chapters will be posted anywhere from Friday to Sunday. This shouldn't last long, trust me.**

**Anyway, Richard's 5 in this one. This was a lot of fun to write, so I hope you guys like it!**

**Feedback is greatly appreciated! Trust me, i saw Robin storing some of them in his belt :3.**

"eeeeeeeeek! Save me!" A high-pitched squeal rang through the air, distress laced through the squeaky voice.

It was just after noon time in Gotham city; the sun fading away with an orange glow. Glass covered buildings could be seen clearly from the mansion, towering over a small bridge that connected the city to a cluster of smaller towns close by.

Wayne manor's trusted butler resided in the kitchen; the occasional clank of metal against metal echoing through the large room. A variety of ingredients were scattered across the countertops, portions of each mixed into a small bowl.

"Alfie!" A small, blue eyed boy ran into the room, a wide grin plastered across his face. Alfred looked up, immediately laughing at the sight before him.

Richard's eyes were wide with excitement as he pulled himself up into a tall stool. A bright red blanket was draped over his shoulders, tied loosely around his neck in an amateur knot. The bottom of the fabric trailed the floor behind him until the boy had seated himself, where it now hung low over the chair.

The Englishman smiled at the boy, whose elbows were now propped on table, his chin resting in his small hands.

"Master Richard. Joining the superhero business I see?" he asked in a teasing manner.

The boy's eyes lit up. "mmhmm! I already saved somebody!"

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Did you now?"

"Yeah!" Dick pulled back his make shift cape, revealing a stuffed elephant with a tasseled circus throw sewn onto its back. "Well…Peanut had to pretend to be a girl. But I still saved him. He got stuck on the chand…chan…the big shiny thing in the foyyy…foyyyerr..foyer!"

The little boy squished his stuffed animal close, glancing around the room with a curious expression etched onto his features.

"When's Bwuce gonna be home?" he asked quietly. It was obvious that Richard had grown quite attached to the billionaire; he often followed the man around the manor, asking if he wanted to play hide and seek, of tag, or whatever else the 5 year was interested in at the time.

Alfred found it very amusing, and often joked that Wayne had found himself a shadow.

"Soon, master Richard, soon."

Dick's shoulders slumped with each passing minute, his elbows sliding out on the counter until his head rested on his arms instead of his hands. A dramatic sigh escaped his lips after about 7 minutes, followed by another shortly after. And another. The butler tried to suppress a grin as he shuffled a pan into the oven.

The front door creaked slightly; an annoyed groan coming from the other side as the sound of jingling keys hit concrete stairs. That was enough for Richard, who hoped out of chair and took off running, blanket cape fluttering behind him.

"BWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEE EEEEE!

The door opened fully now, sending a blast of crisp autumn air through the halls as Bruce stepped into the house. All of stress and anger from the day melted away as the billionaire crouched down, scooping the small boy up with a laugh.

"Hey Dick. How was your day?"

Alfred chuckled to himself as he heard the blue eyed boy babble away, talking about a variety things; from cartoons to cookies to sunsets. His voice was quick and excited, the occasional Romani word slurred into his stories.

Bruce walked into the kitchen, sending the older man an amused smile as he sat down, Richard propped up in his lap.

"-and then I slide down the stairs and Alfie gave me new crayons cuz I lost the red one and you can't color without the red crayon and I drew a picture and I watched a cartoon and it was really really cool! And I fell asleep on the couch for a într-adevăr lung timp! But i woke up before luch and i played a game!"

Bruce smiled, looking down at the little boy in his arms. He raised his eyebrows as he spotted the red fabric hanging from Dick's shoulders.

"Whats this?" he asked, pinching the end of the fabric in his hand and holding it up for the boy to see.

"Oh! That's my superhero cape! I saved somebody today! Well...an elephant. But it was close enough!"His blue orbs shined with pride as he smiled up at his adopted dad broadly.

Bruce chuckled, navy eyes gleaming with mischief.

"You know... I think I heard somebody in need of saving!"

Richard perked up, squinting his eyes dramatically and pursing his lips, pretending to be listening for calls. After a few moments, he nodded. "I think your right!"

The little boy hopped of the chair, his feet hitting the floor with a soft thud. He turned back to Bruce, adjusting his cape before placing his balled hands onto his hips in a superman pose. (Bruce would scowl about that one later)

"Ok! You be Batman, and I'll be your partner!"

Alfred shook his head in amusement as the two made their way back to the foyer, the young acrobat taking the lead.

Richard ran forward, jumping up onto the couch and reforming his hero pose. He glanced around the room briefly, eyebrows furrowing as he focused hard on something. Then, his face held an expression of satisfaction.

"Yupp. Defiantly some saving to be done here. This looks like a job for Batman and Robin!"

The billionaire raised an eyebrow. "Robin?"  
Dick laughed. "Yeah! I'm already used to it anyway. It's a perfect superhero name!"

Bruce ran a hand through his dark hair as he studied the boy's face, waiting for the sad look that followed any memory of his past life. Richard's wide, bright eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion for a fraction of a second, his smile fading ever so slightly before returning full force almost instantly.

Wayne sighed with relief. Maybe things were getting better, little by little. He reached over, pulling the boy up onto his shoulders and breaking out into a jog down the hall. Dick squealed in shock, giggles quickly replacing it as they passed a variety of dark wooden doors.

"Where to, Robin?"

"Mmm… I think I heard somebody…that way!"

…

About an hour later, Alfred had just finished preparing dinner as two tired crime fighters walked into the kitchen, both taking their seats at the table.

Richard took in a deep breath, reaching up to shift his crooked cape as he slowly exhaled. He turned to Bruce, eyes bright and happy. He reached a small hand up to his dad, sharing a high five.

"Mission success! But… next time, we're taking the batmobile."

Bruce's eyes widened.

_Next time?_

**And finished:) Again, so sorry this took so long. It hit some writers block, but I think I got over it now. Hopefully you guys liked this chapter! I'd love to hear from you! **

**Also, I am now, officially, taking requests! You can pm me, or leave them in the reviews if you want. Either ways good:) I have a basic story line planned out, but it could always use a sprinkle of fluffyness here and there;)**

**Thanks!**

**-Arrow.**


	5. Mr Clark

**A/N: Hey:/ well, I guess I should explain the random Tuesday post. I had an allergic reaction to laundry detergent. . so I'm currently camped out in my room-_- Anyway, I figured 'Hey! might as well do something productive!" and… I'm really in the mood to write today, so why not crank out another chapter. This one is a request, and an awesome idea coming from Squee the magically bunny (whose user name is amazing xD) so a big thanks to he/she. The idea was to have Robin meet some of the league members. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Haha. I was stuck between Clark, Barry, or Oliver…but I decided to do Clark first, only because with Barry and Oliver, I also want to introduce Roy and Wally, but I don't think I'm ready to add them quite yet. Dickies too young to make friends! xD kidding kidding. Ok. This is too long. Read away!**

**Dick is 6 years old.**

"Just give me a minute, Clark." A very casually dressed Wayne called over his shoulder as he strode down the hall, a pronounced smirk playing on his lips.

Clark Kent stepped inside the manor, shutting the door behind him to cut off the flow of cool air pouring inside. It was the middle of fall and it already felt cold enough to snow. This type of weather always fit the personality of Gotham; it was depressing, uncomfortable, and you never wanted to be out in it long, much like the city itself.

"Uhh…no problem Bruce. Take your time." Clark answered weakly, his hand reaching up to adjust his thick framed glasses sub consciously. The built man pulled on the edges of his coat sleeves as his eyes swept over the room. This was the first time that he had ever been within a ten mile radius of his colleagues home, and for some reason, it made him uncomfortably nervous. Heck, Bruce usually made him nervous. But, then again, he is batman, so he guessed that was kind of the point.

Kent sighed, shifting his weight awkwardly as he stared down at his polished shoes. Clark had known Bruce for quite awhile now, probably since they were both in their early twenties. O f course then they were heroes. They met each other again about two years later, but this time as Clark and Bruce. Clark's official job was reporting for a popular newspaper in Metropolis, and Bruce Wayne is Gotham's richest, so, of course, one thing lead to another. Kent still remembered the scowl he had been shot right before his camera lens ended up on the cold concrete. Later, when identities were revealed, for purposes of the justice league, Batman had spent a good 20 minutes laughing his ass off; which understandingly freaked every one out. (c'mon, Batman laugh? Right…) ever since, Wayne had taken great pleasure in embarrassing the reporter as often as he could.

Clark sighed, shifting his gaze once more to the hallway the billionaire had disappeared down. If he didn't get Bruce back to the Daily Planet by four, Lois will surely skin him alive. Kent shuddered. He'd seen Lois at her angriest, and it was not something he wanted to see again. At the moment, both of their jobs depended on a very rare interview with Gotham's playboy, because of him. Clark, in an attempt to impress Ms. Lane, had stupidly mentioned that he knew Bruce quite well.

So, here he was.

The reporter let out another heavy sigh, running a hand through his wavy black hair as he glanced at his wristwatch.

Crap.

The man was tempted to walk down the hall and find Bruce himself, but he knew better. Plus, he was in no position to test Bruce's generosity any further than he already has.

Another nervous glance at his watch. Oh boy.

"Umm. Who are you?" a little voice squeaked from somewhere to his right.  
Clark jumped in surprise, turning quickly to the source of the question.

A little boy, no older than 5 was currently peaking his head around the corner of the hallway, eyeing the reporter cautiously. His ebony hair fell over his bright blue orbs as he took a step forward, looking behind himself briefly as if he were about to bolt.

"Oh. I'm a friend of Bruce's! You must be Richard! It's nice to finally meet you." Kent said, flashing the boy a smile as his naturally friendly personality broke through his unease. He remembered when he had first heard that Gotham's playboy had taken in the young boy. In fact, he had been one of the people in charge of running the story. Clark had been shocked, to say the least.

Richard scrunched his eyebrows,a concentrated look setting in on his features as he studied Clark's face, deciding whether or not he was being truthful.

Clark gave another smile to the younger acrobat; the much smaller, warmer tug of his lips that he adopted with his Identity on earth.

The young boy seemed to make up his mind then, shooting his own toothy grin at the man before walking forward, holding out a small hand.

"Richard Grayson. But you can call me Dick. Lots of people do."

The reporter laughed, crouching down to meet Richard at eye level before grasping the tiny hand in his own.

"Clark Kent. But you can call me Clark. Lots of people do." He teased as they released hands.

Dick laughed. It was weird. He's known the man for less than 5 minutes, and he already liked him more than almost all of Bruce's other 'friends.'

"So, how come you're here?" The boy asked curiously before a blush crept across his cheeks."Not in a mean way! I'm just wondering."

Clark chuckled, shaking his head. "It's okay. I'm here to take Bruce back to Metropolis with me. You see, I'm a reporter, and my boss wants me to get an interview with him for our paper." _More like my co worker_ he added in mentally._ Thanks Lois…_

"Oh. How come you can't do it here? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Kent nodded. "Yes. But I don't have my recorder with me. My boss is holding it hostage. He wants to meet Bruce." The man leaned down with a smile, holding a hand to his cheek as he lowered his voice. "Just don't tell Bruce. Trust me, if he knew what's in store for him at the Daily Planet, he would back out."

Dick grinned, holding out a pinkie as his shook his head. "Promise!"

The two curled there pinkies together briefly. "Thanks. I owe you one."

"Nah. That's okay. So what's it like working for the newspaper? Do you get to meet celebrities and stuff?"

**...**

Bruce walked back into the main entrance of the manor, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Sorry about that Clark. I couldn't find…Richard. Well, I guess I should have looked here sooner."

The billionaire navy eyes held surprise as they landed on the little boy, who was acting some story out dramatically, his hands waving around rapidly. Clark looked over at Bruce, attempting to catch his breath as he settled his laughter.

Richard also noticed his father's sudden appearance and cut himself off, racing over to the man and hugging his leg.

"No problem Bruce. Dick was just…*chuckle* telling…*chuckle* me this story. …Woooo! Lois woulda gotten a kick outta that one. I think we need to start interviewing 5 year olds from now on. Much more interesting than current events.

Richard crossed him arms, sending a pout in Clark's direction. "I'm 6!"

Kent gave a sheepish grin. "My apologies. 6 year olds. Muuuuchhhh more interesting than current events _and _5 year olds."

The acrobat nodded, letting his arms drop and his smile return.

"Right. You wanna get going then?" Bruce asked with a laugh.

"Oh! Right right… yeah! Let's go."

Bruce shook his head. He knew the feeling all too well. Richard was pretty good with distraction. _Might come in handy one day._ The billionaire thought, remembering the time the boy had told him a very amusing story about dinosaurs to avoid going to bed on time.

Bruce pulled his arms into the sleeves of his dark jacket before grabbing his car keys of the small table behind him.

Just as he was about to turn back to the door, a tug on his shirt drew his attention. He looked down to meet his son's wide baby blue eyes.

"Can I come?" Dick asked, bottom lip poking out slightly.

It took almost all of Bruce's strength to say no, but he knew it would be best if the boy stayed home.

He reached down and ruffled the boy's dark hair with a sigh. "Sorry sport. Not this time. I'm sure you would have more fun here with Alfred anyway."

The boy's shoulders sagged, and Bruce almost, _almost_ changed his mind. "Kay." He mumbled sadly before reaching his arms up for a hug. The billionaire lifted the boy up, hugging him tightly before he placed him back on the ground.

The corner of Clark's lips tugged slightly as he watched. It was nice to see Bruce acting so…not batmanish.

The two men turned to leave, but Dick ran forward suddenly, hugging Clark's leg before he could walk outside.

"Bye Clark! You should come back again reaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllll llllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyy reaaaaaaaaaallllllllllyyyyyy yyyy soon!"

Kent felt his heart tug. _This kid is just too cute._

"Will do kiddo. I'll see what I can work out."

"Kay!" The little boy smiled brightly, waving to both men before the heavy wooden door shut behind them.

Clark chuckled, looking over at Bruce in amusement as they walked down the steps. "Richard is such a nice kid. I'm glad he's doing okay, after…you know."

Bruce nodded, burying his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. Me too…. Me too."

Clark reached into his own pocket, pulling out a shiny key and popping it into his car door.

"Thanks again for agreeing to this, Bruce. I really owe you for this one."

Bruce looked over, expression thoughtful.

"How do you feel about babysitting?"

**Finish!**

**Again,a big thanks to squee for the idea! It really gave me the kick to start introducing some more characters. I don't have school Thursday or Friday (whoo!) so expect another chapter! I'm getting back on track! **

**Thanks guys!**

**-Arrow.**


	6. Batcaves and Scarlet speedsters

**A/N: 50 reviews!? YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! I seriously can't even believe this. Not to mention all of the followers and favorites. Seriously. You guys rock.!**

**Allllllllsoooooooooooooo… I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, I had a lot to write about, and school, and yada yada yada. You guys get the picture. Anyway, thanks guys. Really:)**

**Read on!**

Richard Grayson let out another deep yawn as he stared at his steaming cup of hot chocolate. His Bright blue eyes followed the trails of smoky grey as they floated up from the mug, making small, swirly paths before disintegrating in the air. The boy puckered his lips, carefully blowing on the steaming liquid in an attempt to cool it. The puffs of smoke flowed away from the cup in short, faded billows before returning to their original location and continuing the journey up towards the ceiling.

It was about 12:30 in Gotham city, and somewhere, on top of some tall building, Batman sat perched on a ledge in the murky darkness, scoping the streets for crime. Dick, on the other hand, was sitting in the manor with Alfred, recovering from a nightmare.

The boy sighed, taking a tiny sip of his chocolaty drink.

Although Richard was only 6 years old, the young acrobat already knew what he wanted to do when he was older.

When he first came to the manor, Dick had known for a fact that he was going back to his circus roots as soon as he was able to live on his own, or Pop Haley found a way to adopt him himself. Of course, that was a year ago, and the boy had adjusted well to his new life. That didn't mean that Dick didn't think about his parents every day, or miss his circus family 24/7, but the pain of the drastic loss had numbed and lessened until the ebony haired boy had moved on, in a way.

Now, Richard had done what most boys his age tended to do; he wanted to be just like his dad.

But… not Bruce Wayne.

Batman.

The little boy's eyes glazed over in thought as he stared absentmindedly at the smoke, watching as the murky grey began to fade into a pale, almost unnoticeable white.

His thoughts melted into old memories as the haze disappeared from his cup. Dick remembered sitting around a small fire pit with his mom and dad, as well as many of the performers from the circus. He remembered laughing at the stories that had been passed around in the dark, learning how to toast marshmallows with Pop Haley, and watching as the thick charcoal colored smoke was pulled away with the cool wind.

"Master Richard," Alfred called, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. Richard looked up, lifting the mug to his lips and taking a large gulp and raising his eyebrows in question.

_Another trait picked up from Master Bruce. _The Englishman mused as he put the tin of hot chocolate mix away.

"I was meant to inform you of Master Bruce's upcoming business trip. It slipped my mind before, but I was told to ask if you would prefer someone other than Master Clark to keep you Company."

The acrobat sat up, ebony hair flopping in front of his face at the sudden motion.

"Clark s'gonna come? When? He should come Saturday! Or tomorrow! Or right now! Let's call him!"

Alfred laughed, shaking his head as the boy jumped off the chair and ran for the cordless phone across the room.

"Master Richard, I don't know if you have noticed, but it is 12:30 in the morning, and I'm sure that Mr. Kent is asleep."

Richard stopped, looking down as his face fell. "Oh."

"So, shall I assume that you are fine with the arrangements?"

Dick laughed, nodding his head rapidly. "Uh huh! Clark is the best. Do you think that he works on Saturdays like Bruce? Cuz maybe he can come over and watch cartoons with me!"

Alfred raised an amused eyebrow, holding back a smile as he watched the boy jump around excitedly.

"Well, I'm sure the Daily Planet has kep-"the man paused, cutting himself off suddenly with a frown as two low chimes rung out through the empty halls.

Richard turned, baby blue orbs going wide as he stared down the direction where the sound was produced.

"Was that the clock?"

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows, looking down at his wristwatch in confusion.

"I believe so. Master Bruce must be home early."

Dick beamed, running forward and grabbing the man's hand as he attempted to tow him out of the kitchen.

"Bruce is home! C'mon let's go! He called happily, dragging Alfred behind him.

While Dick was ecstatic that his father was home, Alfred defiantly was not. When Batman was on patrol, he stayed in Gotham until he heard from Commissioner Gordon at 5:00. Then, he knew for sure that everything was clear. Not once had he ever come home early, and it was _early. _Something must be wrong. He must be hurt.

That thought alone was enough to drive the older man into action. His pace quickened as they made their way down another hallway.

The two stopped in front of the tall grandfather clock as it ticked quietly against the hollow wall. Alfred reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny golden key with an intricate spiral design across the top. He popped the key into the glass casing and turned it until a subtle click was produced. Pulling the door forward, Alfred reached forward and took hold of the sluggishly swinging pendulum, stopping it in its tracks and holding it to the right. Richard bounced up and down slightly as he watched the back of the clock slide away, revealing two shiny elevator doors. The butler reached his arm in further and clicked a small red button. Both doors slid open smoothly, revealing a small cubical of wired walls surrounded by darkness.

The Englishman stepped back, glancing down at the hyper active boy in thought. He knew Richard was not permitted to enter the batcave, but he couldn't leave the six year old up here by himself, and Bruce could be down there trying to hide his injuries like he was known to do.

Deciding that there really wasn't any other option, Alfred straightened up and ushered the boy through the secret entrance.

Once inside, the man opened a small box enclosing the control panel and pressed two buttons. Dick watched in awe as the doors sealed, cutting off all sources of light. There was about 10 seconds of complete darkness before a dim flicker glowed under their feet. The boy looked up at the thick metal chains lowering them to the ground, then to both sides, taking in every detail he could of his new surroundings.

The wires creaked and shifted as the enclosed space was lowered further underground. Richard's eyes widened as the musky oak walls cut off and transformed into jagged rock. The air around them shifted and thickened with moister and the faint drip of water could be heard somewhere far off.

The metal box touched down onto the cool ground with a soft thud that echoed through the cave. The doors pulled open once more, and the two stepped out.

"_I'msorrybatmanIdidn't-"_

"_**I know you didn't mean too but you still showed up in my city!"**_

"_ItwasanaccidentIpromise!Iwastrailing-"_

"_**I DON'T CARE WHO YOU WERE TRAILING! I told you last month that if you ever showed up in Gotham again unannounced, there would be consequences!"**_

Alfred widened his eyes as two very distinct voices floated through the damp space.

_Oh boy._

Richard took a step back, hugging the older man's leg as he picked Bruce's very angry voice out of the argument. Whoever he was yelling at must be in some serious trouble.

Alfred sighed, patting the boy's head gently before taking his small hand and walking him through the short tunnel ahead.

_This is going to be interesting._

When the narrow passage opened up, the young acrobat couldn't help but gasp. The room was enormous! Weapons of all sorts lined the walls, suspended carefully on dozens of hooks. Across from those sat a glass case filled with sharp little bat-shaped blades. Another glass case stood next to the weapons, an empty stand placed in the middle. Besides that sat a large box with a huge padlock keeping it sealed shut.

The room cut off into two more tunnels on either side, leading to smaller cave openings.

Though, what stood out the most to Dick was a large monitor and computer systems smack in the middle of the room. Around it, sat other pieces of equipment with tons of buttons and switches.

" BatmanI'msorry!reallyreallysorry!Itwon'thappenagainI-Ipromise!"

Richard shifted his gaze, peaking around Alfred's legs and focusing on two figures standing by a far wall. One was obviously Bruce, well Batman. His costume was the darkest shade of black around, a gold belt fastened around his waist, pockets covering every inch of space.

The other person though, Richard did not recognize. His outfit contrasted deeply with the dark style of the cave, a scarlet red fabric covering the man from head to toe. The man's cowl was what held the young boy's attention longest, for on each side, a bright yellow lightning bolt was stitched carefully onto the material. The six year old squinted, trying to focus on the hint of memory he had with the symbol, but his eyes instead picked up something else.

The man was shaking.

No, vibrating.

The entire outline of the heroes shape was blurred out with the motion. Dick strained his eyes, noticing what appeared to be smoke crawling up from under the man's yellow boots, in shock.

Then it hit him.

"Flash!" He yelled, running forward in excitement. Both men turned quickly, Bruce's rant ending abruptly as he spotted his son. Flash opened his mouth in surprise, blue eyes wide as he exchanged looks between Batman and the young boy who was bouncing around in front of them.

"How fast can you run? Do you have a whole bunch of villains where you live? Where do you live anyways? Oh oh oh! Can you seriously vibrate through walls?" The ebony haired boy rushed out, blue eyes wide and shining as he looked up at the hero.

Flash laughed, Richard's excited mood bringing back his own.

"umm about 2953mph the last time I checked, yes, Central city, and yes." He smiled; it was a good thing he was used to fast talking.

Batman sighed, scooping the young boy up in his arms while shooting a glare at the speedster across from him.

"Richard, why are you up?" He asked, not even bothering to worry about him being in the cave at the moment. He would worry about that later.

The acrobat frowned; burying his face into his father's armored shoulder. "Nightmare." He mumbled. Bruce nodded. Of course.

Flash glanced over, eyebrows raised as he mouthed _"nightmare?"_ In return, he earned himself a pretty fierce daddybats glare. The speedster widened his eyes, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

Bruce hugged the boy tight, rubbing his back before settling him carefully onto the ground.

"You need to go back to bed Dickie. I'll be back up in about ten minutes; Alfred will bring you upstairs for now."

Richard nodded, rubbing his eyes. "k. night batman. Night Flash." He waved as Alfred led him back through the tunnel. Flash waved back enthusiastically, a large smile covering most of his features.

Batman turned back to the other hero, his expression hardening to the intimidating scowl it previously was.

"You're lucky, Allen. I'm gonna let you go _this time,_ but only because my son needs me." Bruce stepped forward, eyes dark. "But, If I ever catch you in my city again, luck will _not _be on your side." The speedster nodded rapidly, smile fading as his molecules started to vibrate once more in fear.

After another menacing look, Batman turned on his heels and walked toward the elevator, dark cape trailing behind him.

Flash waited for one tense minute, then, when he was sure he was alone, let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Thank you Richard!"

**Finish!**

**Thank you so much for reading! I seriously appreciate all of the support. Next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one did, so be ready for it:D also, I will be doing requests soon, but I have a few more really important chapters that I want to get through first. So fear not! I haven't forgotten about them! Jeez. Its nine already, but I'm gonna post this anyway. …:3**

**Haha. Have a good week!**

**-Arrow.**


	7. Idea drabbles?

**A/n: PLEASE READ! BATMAN WAS SPOTTED IN- ok. Now that I've got your attention :) **

**So this isn't really a chapter. These are ideas that I've been jotting down as I've written this story, and I was about to trash most of them, but I wanted to see what you guys thought first, and if you wanted me to continue any of them into real chapters. So, here they are! **

**Also, I am going to continue the 'meeting heroes' chapters for a while, with some fun ones mixed in, such as Clark's babysitting challenge. (Wish him luck!)**

**And, as always, I want to thank all of you guys who have favorite, followed, and reviewed this story! I really appreciate it, and am motivated to write. THANK YOU!**

"Richard! Riccccccccccccccchhhhhhhhhaa aaaaaaaaaaaard!" A very jittery speedster called out to the empty room, glancing around with wide blue eyes.

_No no no no no no..._

"Dick pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aassssssssseeeeeeeee! I don't wanna die yet! T here's so many types of foods out there! Foods I haven't tried yet! C'mon kid! Don't do this to me!" he pleaded, running a hand through his choppy blonde hair.

No response.

"Okay okay! You win! Just please come out!" The man called, silently praying that the boy would pop up in front of him. How the kid had managed to stay hidden for three hours, he would never know.

_Oh man. Oh no no no no no…. I..am…dead._

Barry sighed dramatically, dropping his head in reluctant defeat. "I always wanted to try tai food.." he mumbled miserably.

"umm…What are you doing?"

"_AH!_" the speedster yelled, jumping up and spinning around to find the source of the voice.

**...**

…

"No!" Richard cried, backing away from the older boy with a pout.

The boy rolled his eyes in annoyance, turning towards Bruce with raised eyebrows.

"I told ya he wouldn't want to come. Besides, I just met him what, two minutes ago? I don't blame him."

Bruce sighed; shaking his head as the ebony haired boy hugged his leg tight, hiding from the red head. He reached a hand down and ruffled the acrobat's dark hair.

The older boy crossed his arms, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "d'you want me to just call Ollie? M'sure he can convince the kid better than I can."

The billionaire furrowed his eyebrows, lifting his wrist to see his watch.

_Hmm… Alfred's gonna kill me for this…_

"No, that's alright Roy." He paused, looking down at the six year old attached to his leg.

"Actually…I've got an idea."

…

…

"That depends."

_Pause._

"Right, right. No I get it."

_Pause._

"So…?"

_Pause._

"Great. When do you want to come over?"

_Pause._

*chuckle*

"Well I'll be here."

_Pause._

"See you soon."

Bruce clicked the phone off, a wide smile growing on his lips.

"Bruce?"

The man turned, eyes widening as his son poked his head in the doorway, holding the phone from the kitchen in his hand.

"Who's Diana?"

…

…

"So what do you think? Barry Allen asked, smiling so broadly he resembled an anime character.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "…and you said he's nothing like you?"

Barry laughed, waving his hand. "oohh no! He's my nephew anyway, on Iris's side of the family. He's so quiet; I forget he's there sometimes!"

…

…

"Shhhh!" Richard whispered, holding a finger to his lips. "Bruce can't know you're here!"

"ARF!"

"SHHHHHH!" The blue eyed boy pleaded, looking around before carefully picking up his new friend and slipping into the hall quietly.

"Ok-" Richard whispered, "You can't make any noise. I'm gonna sneak you down stairs. Just please, be quiet. Otherwise I won't be able to keep you."

The small puppy blinked, licking the boy's cheek as his charcoal colored tailed thumped steady across his side.

Dick smiled patting the dog's head. "All right. Here we go."

The young boy padded down the dark hall quickly, sliding a hand across the wall to keep direction. After about a minute, his fingers curled around the wooden stair rail. Sighing in relief, the ebony haired boy carefully stepped down them one at a time. The puppy squirmed, whined under his arm as it tried to escape his grip.

"Almost there..." he whispered, adjusting his hold on the animal's tiny body.

The boy inched his way down the steps until he made it to the bottom.

…or… what he thought was the bottom.

Losing his footing, Richard slipped, loosening his grip on the puppy as he fell backwards. The puppy jumped down, dashed around the remaining steps and running through the foyer with three happy barks. Dick caught himself with his elbows, a loud thud ringing out through the once quiet room.

Footsteps followed almost instantly.

"Master Richard!"

…

…

"What's that?"

"That's a dictionary."

"What about that?"

"…A ruler."

"And that?"

"That's the white board."

"Whats-"

"Okay Dick, I think that's enough!" Bruce laughed, giving the woman in front of them an apologetic look.

"Sorry Ms. Luma, he's a little…excited."

The woman laughed, smiling at the two in amusement. "Oh it's fine Mr. Wayne. It happens more often than you would think."

"Right. So... How exactly is security in the building? I mean, I'm sure that people just, walk in and all but-"

Ms. Luma nodded, pulling on one of her auburn curls. "Don't worry, Mr. Wayne, Gotham Elementary has a very strict policy here. No one gets in without a visitor's pass, and we have cameras on every corner. We haven't had any problems in the past with any intruders, so Richard should be fine here."

Bruce tried to smile, but failed miserably. A couple of his bat cams here and there wouldn't hurt..

…

…

"It's a new game I invented! Wanna play?"

Bruce sighed, grabbing his coat. "I really don't have time right now Richard. When I get home from work, then we'll play it, ok?"

"But-"

The billionaire frowned, patting his pockets. "Alfred, did you see my car keys?"

The butler frowned, walking forward and glancing around. "I'm afraid not, sir."

Richard laughed, blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"So…do you wanna play 'find where I hid Bruce's car keys' now?"

(**a/n: cue the facepalm.)**

…

…

The cool air whipped across streets, pulling along crispy leaves and shreds of newspaper as people hurried by. Richard skipped along the sidewalk happily, Bruce close behind him.

"Richard! Hold on a second!" Bruce called, jogging forward when the boy tried to cross the street.

The tiny acrobat looked up, his nose and cheeks red from the cold, causing his bright blue eyes to stand out even more.

The billionaire leaned over and clicked the button on the street crossing sign. Richard jumped up and down excitedly as he watched the screen count down from ten.

"You can't cross the street by yourself, buddy." Bruce said, taking the boy's hand and leading him by the rows of waiting cars.

"Sorry. I'm just excited!" the boy exclaimed, smiling brightly.

Wayne laughed. "So I've noticed."

"So what's your work like? Are the people nice? Do you get cookies for lunch?"

Bruce shook his head, laughing as the boy continued on with a flurry of random questions.

_Bring your son to work day..not a bad idea._

…

…

Richards's eyes went wide as he starred at the shiny vehicle in front of him. The midnight black paint blended in so well with the dark cave that he almost hadn't seen it.

"Whoa… Can I drive it?"

Batman looked down at him for a brief second, images of the 7 year old _driving the bat mobile _flashing through his mind.

The man inwardly shuddered, picking up the boy quickly and hauling him away from the car.

"No."

**And done!**

**So these were just some ideas that, as I said were started but not finished. Let me know what you think! **

**The last one was more of a joke by the way. I mean, come on. How funny would that be? A cop pulling over the bat mobile just to find that Richards the one driving. Haha:)**

**So anyway, I'm trying to update more, because I miss writing. (sadness)**

**And finally, I know some people have left requests, and I have read them, I promise. They will be up soon!**

**Have a good week!**

**-Arrow.**


	8. Author's note

**A/N: Hey everyone! This isn't a chapter; I just wanted to take a minute to tell you guys to stay safe this week. Hurricane Sandy is moving in fast, and already the destruction is starting up. Just, please be careful! This is a big one, but I know we can pull through. I don't know what's gonna be happening in the next couple of days, but I hope that you guys will stay out of this weather and hang out inside, or evacuate to a safer place if needed.**

**A new chapter should be out sometime this week, and for you aster reviewers, I will be sending part 2 out to you as soon as I can. **

**Finally, I want to thank everyone for sticking with this story, and for everyone just joining in. I appreciate all of the feedback and support!**

**As always, signing out for now.**

**-Arrow.**

**Stay safe!**


	9. Meet Roy

**A/N: I'm so sorry! My laptop crashed a couple days ago, and I've been trying to get my hands on my old laptop to post this for you guys. So sorry! I did not expect a virus attack like that one. :/ what did my laptop ever do to you!? *wails***

**Ahem. Anyway, just thought I would explain why I went awol this week.**

**Everything else about stuff that I wanted to tell you will be down below. I don't wanna make this too long. Thank you very much! Reviews have been getting up there:) I love reading them so much. As always, you guys are my motivation.**

"Oh, c'mon Roy. It'll be fun." A very amused Oliver Queen laughed as he adjusted the dark glasses shading his eyes, thumbs tapping a beat against the leather steering wheel.

His adopted son huffed, crossing his arms over the seatbelt covering his chest in defiance as he shot his father a glare.

"I doubt it. I mean seriously! How old is this kid anyway? Five?" He asked, pitch rising in annoyance.

Oliver smiled, shifting his gaze off the empty road momentary and offering the boy a raised eyebrow.

"Seven, actually."

Roy scoffed, throwing his hands up. "Awesome. Just what I wanted to spend my Saturday doing; hanging out with some first grader.

Oliver shook his head, letting go a long whistle and reaching over to roll down the window.

"Phew! Does it smell sarcastic in here or what?"

The red head next to him rolled his eyes, slapping his hand away.

" Ha-ha."

The man laughed, turning the wheel and pulling the car onto some exit.

"Just trying to lighten the mood.." He flipped on the blinker and the vehicle jerked once more onto another route. "But seriously, you should give the kid a chance. Clark tells me he's really friendly."

Roy raised his eyebrows. "Aren't all seven year olds?"

Queen smirked. "I dunno. Were you?"

The boy turned his head towards the window, watching the trees around him blur past as he clapped jokingly.

"Wow Ollie, you're a real comedian! You sure the super hero business was the right career path?"

The man chuckled, covered eyes flashing to the rearview mirror before making yet another turn.

"Hmm. Yeah I think so." He shot a sideways look at his son. "I mean, what would Star City do without Green Arrow?"

Roy gasped dramatically, clutching his heart in mock despair. "Oh! It's too awful to even imagine!"

…

The tires of the black Mercedes rolled to a stop as they reached another stop light. The red head glanced around curiously, wondering how much longer this ride would take. He'd never been to Gotham before, so he was kind of excited to see how different it was from Star City. (Not that he would ever admit that to Oliver) If its reputation held up, this was going to be interesting.

The light flashed green, cueing Ollie to pull forward, which he did with a fake groan of relief. The highway went on for miles, surrounded by nothing but tall furs. Roy watched as the thick cover of trees started to thin until all greenery melted into long slaps of concrete. Ahead, the faint outline of clustered building could be seen, the edges sharpening as they got closer.

_Gotham City: 3.5 miles._

After a few more minutes, a large bridge came into view, its base stretched completely over a body of dark murky water.

_Welcome to Gotham City._

The roads seemed to congest instantly, bringing their speed down to a slow crawl. Roy leaned forward in his seat, green eyes gazing up at the huge, glass plated buildings.

"Lot different from Star, huh?" Oliver asked, eyes trailing over the many dark alley ways and groups of rushed people.

"Yeah." The boy sighed.

…

The remainder of the drive was quiet; spare the occasional beep of speeding cars. When it seemed like they had reached the city's limits, Oliver spun the wheel to the left and up a winding gravel path.

Then the house came into view, looming over everything on a grassy hill.

"Woah…" the redhead breathed out.

Ollie laughed. "My words exacty."

Oliver Queen had money, which was no secret. But with the way Star City was, and the way his job was, and the way Canary was, an apartment was just the way to go. Not that anyone was complaining. Loft life (as they jokingly called it) was pretty cool.

The car pulled up onto smooth pavement and stopped in front of a huge metal gate. Ollie pulled the parking break, then rolled down his window and reached his hand out toward a small speaker box. He paused for a second, turning back to Roy with a smirk, and cleared his throat.

"Uhh… Yes. Ok, I think I'm gonna get a number 7 combo with a coke… No no, make it a pepsi."

A chuckle came from the metal box, followed by a thick British accent.

"My apologies, Master Queen. I'm afraid Master Allen beat you to that joke a short while ago."

Oliver laughed, shaking his head. "Darn. Shoulda seen that one coming."

"Indeed. I'll buzz you in."

"Thanks!" the man called before releasing the button. The gate slid open moments later.

They pulled up the steep hill leading to the massive mansion and parked next to a very shiny BMW the color of the sky late at night. Ollie pulled the keys out of the ignition, cutting of the soft hum of the engine and turning toward Roy.

The man squinted, pursing his lips before deepening his voice and imitating a stern father.

"Now son, I want you to be on your best behavior." Then, mumbled mostly to himself, "The last thing I need is Bats at my throat."

Roy grinned. "Right."

Oliver nodded, pulling his shades up until they rested on the top of his head. "Okay. Let's go."

…

The hollow sound of the doorbell echoed faintly behind the heavy oak door, creating a sound that was familiar and very common.

Roy sighed, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. Who knew what his friends are doing right now, but whatever it was, he was jealous. At least they didn't have to waste there day with some baby.

Suddenly, the soft tapping of running footsteps floated towards them. Then, a quiet voice sounded from somewhere low.

"Password."

The pair looked around in confusion, eyebrows scrunched together. Then, Oliver chuckled, pointing to the bottom of the door where an old mail slot resided.

The man crouched down, instantly meeting a pair of bright blue eyes through the cut out. He shot Roy an amused look before his expression turned thoughtful.

"Hmm…is the password..." he smiled "Batman?"

Blue orbs widened for a split second, and then squinted carefully.

"Lucky guess. …But I still can't let you in. I…um… can't reach the door knob."

Roy cracked a grin while Ollie burst out laughing, a wide grin spread over his lips.

"Master Richard!"

"Hi Alfie!" The little boy chirped.

The door was pulled open then, revealing a very flustered looking butler and a small boy with the same blue eyes Queen had seen poking his head out behind his legs.

"I'm very sorry about that, Master Queen. He beat me to the door." The older man apologized as Oliver stood, the occasional chuckle still escaping his mouth.

"Nah, don't worry about it Alfred. So, I'm guessing this is Richard?"

The little boy smiled brightly, nodding his head enthusiastically, but stopped when he noticed Roy. His gaze shifted between the two warily, and he hid himself behind Alfred's legs once more.

The butler smiled down at the boy, patting his head gently as Oliver stepped forward, nudging Roy.

Ollie leaned down once more, holding out his hand.

"Oliver Queen. Bruce is one of my business partners." Richard stepped forward slowly, holding out his own hand and shaking the man's.

Queen smiled, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. "That's Roy. He's my son, and he came with me to keep you company while I talk business with your dad."

Then, he leaned in, voice low. "He's a little grumpy today."

Richard giggled, smile returning as Roy scowled.

Oliver stood then, ruffling the small boy's ebony locks as he turned to Alfred.

"Lead the way."

Alfred nodded. "Right. Master Bruce is in his office." The Englishman looked to the young acrobat. "Call if you need anything, Master Richard." Then to the redhead "That goes for you as well, Master Roy."

Roy smiled, nodding while Richard did the same, waving as the two adults disappeared down the hall.

The smaller boy then turned back to the older redhead, eyes wide with excitement.

"Hi!"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "…hi."

"How old are you?" the boy asked, flipping himself into a handstand.

"uh..12…how are you doing that?"

Richard walked himself around so he was facing the older boy, confusion clear on his face.

"Doin' what?"

Roy pointed. "That!"

The blue eyed boy scrunched his eyebrows, then laughed, understanding what the boy was talking about. "Oh! I used to be an acrobat! Back at the..circus."

He frowned, closing his eyes momentarily, and Roy felt something turn in his stomach.

Then. The boy smiled, rolling forward until he was in a sitting position. "sorry."

Roy's eyes widened. "sorry? You don't have to apologize for anything."

Richard looked thoughtful, then he nodded, Standing up. "kay!"

The redhead felt the corner of his mouth tug. Man, this kid had a contagious smile.

The ebony haired boy rocked back on his heels, wide, toothy smile plastered on his face. "So what do ya wanna do?"

Roy shrugged. "Your house."

Dick nodded, pursing his lips and looking around the room. Then, his gaze fell on the t.v.

"Do you like videogames?"

The redhead grinned, a real, genuine smile.

Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

**Done! Thank you so much for reading! Again, so sorry about the lateness. :( also, I hope the font isn't all weird, this laptop has an older version of word. Oh well! I'll probably go back and fix it later. **

**Oh yeah! I had an idea for a new story! It's about Robin…and batgirl! I'm not gonna give tooooo much away incase I do finish writing it, but let me know what you think? About the character choice? Babs? Haha okay I'm gonna stop talking now.**

**Never mind! I lied. One more thing! To those of you aster reviewers who have not received part 2, I'm going to try to get it to you very soon. Promise!**

**Thanks!**

**-Arrow.**


	10. Rough draft

A cold wind blew harshly through the air, whipping through the twiggy trees with a low hum. Clark Kent shivered slightly, reaching a frosty hand up to adjust his thick rimmed glasses. Sure, being a Meta human meant more immunity to extreme temperatures, but damn, it was frigid out here. Gotham's sky scrappers were coated with a filmy white layer of snow, as well as the concrete sidewalks below…and the roads…and the bridge. And- well everything. In fact, it was so cold that the small body of water just before the city was frozen over. Completely solid, which never happens. Clark crossed his arms over his chest in a vain attempt to circulate body heat as he climbed the steps to Wayne manor. The sky overhead looks grim covered in clouds of ashy gray. _More snow_. He thinks bitterly. Being a superhero for so long causes you to gather a list of this you literally despise, whether you meant to or not. Clark was a relatively positive person, so, unlike batman's of course, his list was pretty short.

Kryptonite topped the list without a doubt. Losing your powers in the middle of a fight was definitely not fun.

Villains, a close second, for the obvious reasons.

Airplanes were another. Ever smacked into one of those?

And finally, bad weather. Storm clouds do not like to share the sky.

Clark glared at the sky, willing it to play nice and bring back the sun, before turning back to the door with an aggravated sigh. The man reached out for the doorbell, only to jump back in surprise as the door was flung open. A mop of tousled raven hair zooms by the startled hero, completely oblivious to his presence. The young boy giggles, jumping down the stairs and running straight into the blanket of fluffy snow. Before Kent even catches his barring, the manor's resident butler sprints out, looking incredibly flustered. He shots the reporter an apologetic smile before calling out to his young ward.

"Master Richard! You're Jacket!"

Today was going to be…interesting.

**A/n: Hello people! I'm back! Ok. I have quite a bit to catch you all up on, so bear with me please :D much appreciated!**

**Ok. So this is a VERRRRRRRY rough draft/ preview for what you guys will be receiving over Christmas break. I just wanted to let you read some it, sloppy as it may be, since I kinda left you hanging. For a while. :/**

**School has been crazy. That's really my only excuse.**

**Ok. Next topic. I did start a new story, the one that I mentioned a while back about Robin and Batgirl. I was motivated, and it just kinda happened. The explanation for why that one is up is on that story, so if you wanna check that out, maybe leave some feedback, would be ahmazin!**

**Woohoo! I'm on a roll! Aster reviewers! I am sooooooo freakin sorry this is taking so long! Part 2 will be sent to ya after I post this. :) yay!**

**Also also also! I am going to start answering about a handful of reviews every chapter, so if you have any questions, or ideas, or anything else, leave em up and I'll answer back! :D I'm gonna try it out tonight, so lets see if this is gonna crash and burn.**

**Kk:) lets do this people!**

**ARL15- Thanks! I wasn't sure about that chapter, so its awesome to hear you liked it:D**

**Midnight1906- Indeed he is :) Could mean trouble for Bats :3**

**Fox Loves Shinigami- Two chapters that haven't make an appearance yet, your right. Look out for them, their coming soon:)**

**LuVySoNy- Thank you so much:D super glad you liked it! And no worries, not rude at all haha:) **

**Powerrangersfangirl22- thanks:)**

**DefyingMyGravity- Thanks! Glad you liked some of the chapters. I could understand ur review pretty well, except for the part about chapter 9. I wasn't sure if you meant the Roy chapter, or the one with the ideas for new chapters. I dunno. Haha. But thanks for the review! I appreciate the feedback :D**

**K guys! That's it for tonight.:) 85 REVIEWS! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! You guys rock! I hope you know that: D**

**Final little thing before I go, I just wanted to sent my condolences to the families of the kids from Sandy hook elementary. To the children and staff members who lost their lives, R.I.P., and to the families, the community, and the survivors, stay strong :)**

**-Arrow.**


	11. Superman- The babysitter part 1

**A/N: This is a short chapter, so sorry :( explanation is at the bottom, as well as all that other fun stuff. Read away :)**

**Richard is de-aged again. (about six.)**

**(I realized before that I never do any disclaimers..) ah jeez. I seriously wish that I owned batman, or Robbie, or young justice… but I don't. *sigh.* **

A cold wind blew harshly through the air, whipping through the twiggy trees with a low hum. Clark Kent shivered slightly, reaching a frosty hand up to adjust his thick rimmed glasses. Sure, being a Meta human meant more immunity to extreme temperatures, but damn, it was frigid out here. Gotham's sky scrappers were coated with a filmy white layer of snow, as well as the concrete sidewalks below…and the roads…and the bridge. And- well everything. In fact, it was so cold that the small body of water just before the city was frozen over. Completely solid. Clark crossed his arms over his chest in a vain attempt to circulate body heat as he climbed the steps to Wayne manor. The sky overhead looked grim covered in clouds of ashy gray. _More snow_. He thought bitterly. When you're in the super hero business for long enough, it's almost a given fact that eventually, you will start to collect a list of things that you seriously hate. There's just no avoiding it.

Kryptonite topped the list without a doubt. Losing your powers in the middle of a fight was definitely not fun…or convenient.

Villains, a close second, for the obvious reasons.

Airplanes were another. Ever smacked into one of those?

And finally, bad weather. Rain, snow, hail, you name it, is ten times worse fifty feet in the air then it is on solid ground.

Clark glared at the sky, willing it to play nice and bring back the sun, before turning back to the door with an aggravated sigh. Weather control; wouldn't that be a lovely superpower? The man reached out for the doorbell, only to jump back in surprise as the door was flung open. A mop of tousled raven hair zooms by the startled hero, a loud squeal of happiness ringing through the air. The boy turns, smiling broadly at the frozen reporter before jumping down the stairs and running straight into the blanket of fluffy snow. Before Kent could even catch his barring, the manor's resident butler sprints out, looking incredibly flustered. He too offers Clark a smile, this one holding more of an apology, before chasing after the young ward.

"Master Richard, Your jacket!"

Today was going to be…interesting.

XxXx

Richard pouted, hugging his adopted father's leg tightly as the man grabbed his coat.

"You said it would only take an hour..." the boy's bottom lip pulled out further, a slight tremble starting to develop in both his chin, and his quiet voice. Bruce glanced down, taking in the watery crystal eyes and heartbroken expression for about half a second. His fingers twitched toward his pocket, ready to speed dial his secretary and cancel the entire conference when he caught Alfred's eyes. The older man gave a sad smile and shook his head. He'd already bailed on his work duties twice in the past month for hero- related injuries. He really needed to start saving his "sick day" excuses for when he was actually, well, sick, or people were going to start thinking one of two things.

He wasn't cut out to fill the demanding role his father had left behind.

Or B.) Maybe he was secretly the caped crusader and he just couldn't handle the demanding hero role anymore, ending in escaped convicts and broken bones.

Either way, he loses.

Wayne knelt down, pulling his ward into a tight hug with a sigh. "I'm sorry Richard; I can't promise you that I'll be home by then. You know how we adults love to talk." He chuckled nervously, hoping to lift the boy's mood. No such luck. Richard sniffled, burying his head further into the billionaire's shoulder. So much for that idea. Bruce looked up desperately, a silent plea for help evident on his face.

Clark watched on from the doorway, dusting a few remaining snowflakes out of his hair. It was weird to see the 'menacing dark knight.' Squirm under pressure like this. Hell, it was usually the other way around, Bruce being the one who caused villains, and some of his fellow leaguers *cough cough flash cough cough* to basically be reduced to piles of jell- O.

It was kind of…nice.

Grinning, Kent stepped forward, deciding that Bruce had suffered enough. He too knelt down to the young boy's level, clearing his throat carefully to grab his attention. Richard turned toward him, tear tracks streaked down his pale cheeks and his stomach flipped. The kid looked absolutely heartbroken.

"You know, I brought you a present." He says, poker face intact. Maybe a distraction would do the acrobat well. Richard turns further, wiping the heel of his tiny hand across his wet cheek. His other hand curled tightly onto the fabric of his father's suit, making sure he didn't leave.

Kent looks up, meeting Bruce's navy eyes with a small smile. 'Bats might wanna take notes if he ever wants to leave the house alone again.' He thinks, grin widening slightly.

"It's pretty cool, if I say so myself, but I don't know if I can give it to you." This sparks the boy's interest. His eyebrows scrunch and his hand loosens, releasing some of the bundle of fabric he currently held hostage. Bruce's eyes widen. This _is_ technically bribery… but… whatever gets him to that meeting and saves him from a 6 year old's full blown temper tantrum was ok in his book.

"Why not?" the soft voice questioned back.

The reporter pursed his lips. "I was told to give it to someone with the largest amount of bravery I could find-"

"I'm brave!" Richard proclaimed, nodding his head in determination. He wiped more tears away, trying to hide the fact that he was even crying to prove his point. Alfred chuckled, turning toward the hall, duster in hand. Kent was a pretty clever guy; he knew what he was doing.

Clark laughed, adjusting his glasses as he stood. "Oh really? Hmm…" He studied the boy's face. "I dunno… you have to be pretty brave to handle something like this…"

Dick's eyebrows rose. "I am! I can handle it!"

"And you promise that you'll take care of it?"

Richard nodded vigorously, excitement shining through his previously sad blue eyes. "Uhhuh! I promise!"

Clark squinted, pretending like he was thinking long and hard about the decision. The man finally chuckled, unable to keep a straight face as the young boy spun in small, restricted circles around his bewildered father. _'How did that…woah.' _Wayne was utterly shocked. His dark navy eyes followed the boy as he twirled about. This kid had been clinging to him less than a minute ago, and now he was slowly gaining back his usual bubbly personality and was completely fine. Bruce was sincerely impressed… and grateful to say the least.

Clark held out his hand. "deal." And just like that, Richard let the last bit of fabric fall from his hand as he ran forward and placed it in his temporary babysitter's.

Bruce ran his hand through his dark tousled hair and stood up, straightening his tie as he swallowing the curious lump that had formed in his throat. It was no secret how attached the billionaire had grown to the little raven haired boy, and vice versa, but he really shouldn't be sad. Richard needed to learn to spread his wings, venture past the world offered inside Wayne manor, and Bruce needed to learn to let him go.

'Can't hold onto them forever, I suppose.'

The corner of Wayne's mouth turned up as he watched his son chatter away to Clark, baby blue eyes sparkling as he giggled away. Letting out a shaky breath, the man turned away, spinning the ring that held his car keys around his finger.

He trusted Clark. Clark was freaking superman! If something happened, he would be able to handle it. Not that anything was going to happen. Nothing was going to happen…right? But what if something did happen and Dick got hurt, and there was traffic, or a blizzard, or a meteor shower, or…something. Some obstacle that wouldn't allow him to get back? What would he do then? He would be a wreck, that's what would happen. He would be a wreck and he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Bruce barely noticed Dick wrapping his tiny arms around his leg, waving goodbye as Clark gently pulling him out the door, promising that everything would be fine, that he was worrying too much.

Everything would be fine…right?

**Tbc… :)**

**Hehe, thinking this is gonna be a two-shot :) I hope you guys don't mind. I just figured this was a good place to end it. Not too much of a cliffy I hope :3 here's what I'm thinking. The next chapter will be the continuation of this, and maybe the next as well, depending on how long it ends up getting, and then a certain redheaded speedster will be making his debut. :D super excited to start writing, I know it's gonna be a blast. Also, for those wondering, I have been dropping tiny little Robin hints here and there, so I think the boy wonder is gonna be coming around soon:) hope you guys can hang in until then. I have a lot to write before then, another Roy chapter, some more with Barry, one with the three 'brothers.' And then I'm thinking another league member. Diana, maybe? Let me know what you think! I might throw in a request or two also, depending on what happens.**

**Next topic! Have you guys seen the reviews lately? Holy crap! You guys are so amazing! Ahh I'm so excited! We're almost at 100 freaking reviews. Thank you so much. It's unrealistic, seeing that many chilling on my story, and I'm so so so happy that you all actually like my writing. I can honestly never say thank you enough. **

**Thunder angel13: thank you so much :) I'm always worried about the quality of these chapters, so it's so awesome to hear that you're liking them! School is a pain, but what can you do I guess. Haha. Thanks for hanging in there while I write like a snail, I appreciate it :)**

**Defyingmygravity: oh ok. I was confused there. Another cameo, woo! Haha :) thanks for checking out this story at all! Don't even worry about being frequent; your gonna find that I don't update as often as I would like to. :P thanks! **

**Guest: why thank you very much :) I try my best with the updating haha. I'm working on finding time to write and rewrite and edit and- yeah. It's a process. Thanks for the review! **

**Powerrangersfangirl22- Thank you so much! Updating will get better, hopefully :)**

**Midnight1906: - :)**

**ARL15: thank you thank you :)**

**Kk awesome :) lovin the reviews guys, seriously. **

**I did want to say that I know I always promise to update by this date and that, but I always get caught up and I just don't wanna break my promises anymore. I'm so sorry :/ I'm trying hard, and I'm trying to getting back on track. My goal is to get back to Friday updates, without compromising quality. **

**Hopefully I can make it happen!**

**Until then**

**-Arrow.**


	12. Author's note- again

**First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to read through all of this. I'm really sorry this isn't a chapter, and I'm super grateful that you guys are so patient with me.**

**Okay! So this authors note is gonna cover a lot of things, please bear with me! **

**First off, WE REACTED 100 REVIEWS! I honestly can't even believe it. Thank you so much guys. The constant feedback is amazing, and I love reading through all of the awesome comments! You guys inspire me to write... though not as frequently as I would like... :3 .. Plus, the fact that I see so many familiar pen names every chapter just amazes me. You all are seriously, seriously some of the best readers I could have ever hoped for. :)**

**With that, I want you to know that the reason the chapter update is taking so long is because your not getting one, but two chapters :D maybe even three, depending on how things go. Heehee no spoilers, but these are some veeeeery requested topics.. (Sorry I left you hangin' Clark! Hope Richard isn't too much of a handful.) **

**Also, I have another story going right now, so updates may be a tad slower. (I know. I'm terrible 0.0) haha. That one has Robin and Babs, as well as a criminal of my own creation... MWAH HAH HAH! … I had a little more fun with that one then I should have.. Ahem.**

**I've also been slowly editing some of my older stories, and I've got a story in the works of my brain with Young Justice. I know I shouldn't start anymore, but I can't help it! Ugg I have a problem.**

**I feel like I really need a long break off of school to get some writing done.. hint hint cough cough school board! Or mother nature, either is fine :D**

**On a final note, I will be answering some requests as soon as Robin comes around, I promise :)**

**:REVIEWS:**

**ARL15: Thank you! **

**Yumisaurous: Cute idea, I may have to take you up on that offer :)**

**Firecrackerxx: thank you x4!**

**SethanaPriyanka: thank you thank you! Part 2 will be out soon, promise :)**

**LuVySoNy: indeed…but I give Clark the benefit of Superboy coming out of nowhere and completely catching him off guard. And for sure, those chapters are coming soon :D thanks for your patience!**

**Jenanimejen: ooooh like a marshmallow :D nice analogy.. **

**DefyingMyGravity: well I'm glad ur a regular! That's awesome:D hmm.. Bruce worries too much.. but you may be onto something :)**

**ShadowlightStarlight: thank you very much! And as far as Wally goes, well, speedsters are quite impatient :)**

**Powerrangersfangirl22: THANK YOU!**

**Sky the white dragon: oooh sounds fun:)**

**Happyslappy5678: Lol :)**

**Lots of reviews this time, and I wanted to make sure I answered them all, so I figured I would do it now :D**

**Welp, that's all for now. Phew. That wasn't as long as I thought it would be.**

**Again, I just want to thank you guys for doing what you do, for coming back, and reading these chapters, and leaving awesome ideas and comments. Robbie and I appreciate this greatly, isn't that right Robin?**

**Robin: *looks up from bribery cookie* mmhmm!**

**Heehee k!**

**Until next time!**

**-Arrow.**

**P.s. this would have been out sooner but.. okay. I'm not gonna lie. The walking dead got to me first. * sheepish smile* forgive me!**


	13. Alfred's cookies

**A/n: Jeez. I am horrid with these updates! This is a filler chapter, just to say sorry. I know I promised you guys those two chapters, and they're almost done! I realized a while back that I never wrote a chapter on Alfred's cookies like I had planned, so I decided to write it tonight. I dunno. It's pretty angsty. I with most likely do another cookie chapter, when Richard is a little older and has the team around. Whoo! I'm thinking so far ahead. Robin doesn't even exist here yet. Hehe. I'm so excited to get rolling on these chapters again. It's just…school. It's all school's fault. -_-**

***We went back in time- Richard is again an adorable six year old! ..not that he isn't adorable as any other age. I'm getting ahead of myself again. **

Richard was done crying. His baby blue eyes were completely dry, though his face felt somewhat sticky from the salty water that had trailed down his cheeks. Was it possible to cry yourself dry?

The ex-acrobat chewed his lip, clamping his pearly teeth down tight to try and stop the quivering. Although the raven haired boy's eyes no longer portrayed emotion, his mind was determined to bring every unpleasant thought back and force him to lose his small bit of control.

Mr. Wayne had pulled him out of that horrible, dingy detention center. He had been kind to the boy, opened his door when no one asked him to, given him a room suitable for a small family (he cringed at the thought) and had promised to take care of him. How could a small circus boy, with a background in poverty, ever repay him for something like that?

By acting like he was grateful. By holding the seams together when Mr. Wayne was around and showing him that he was getting better. Everyone had promised him that things would get better. When would things get better?

Last year, Pop Hailey had told the boy that he had the comprehension of a wise old man. He had made a face at that, which caused Pop to chuckle and ruffle his hair. Wise was good, that much he knew. Maybe he was a little ahead of most of the kids his age. But.. was that a good thing?

Not usually. Especially not right now.

He knew where his parents were. He understood death. That didn't make it easy, but he understood what it meant.

He was frustrated. Why did they leave him? Why did Zucco choose his parents? Why didn't he fall too?

Pop Hailey hadn't like when he had asked that question. It must not have been a suitable idea.

He was angry. Mostly at himself. And his parents. But he knew that that wasn't fair. They hadn't chosen to leave. Zucco choose for them.

He was sad. Upset beyond belief. Depressed. Six year olds aren't supposed to be depressed. Six year olds are supposed to have birthday parties and go to the park, and be read stories at night and eat candy, and laugh. And have fun. And be happy.

Six year olds have parents.

Parents to throw them birthday parties, and push them on the swings at the park, and read them stories after they tuck them in for bed, and buy them a piece of candy once in a while, and laugh, and have fun, and be happy. Together.

Where was that together supposed to be now?

The ebony haired boy hadn't realized how tightly he had tucked himself up until a dull throb sprang up through his arms. It didn't matter. He couldn't let go. He was holding himself together.

'_Small breaths through your nose. In. out. In. out. Now your mouth. In. out. In. out. _

_Don't think about it. Put yourself somewhere else. A good memory. Think about something that makes you happy and stay there. There you go. You hold onto that place, kid, and I know you'll be ok.'_

Chief Gordan was nice. He's probably really good at his job. Keeping people calm is a big part of being a police officer.

His breaths were coming out more shuddery than he had hoped.

He couldn't find a happy place.

Where had he gone before? The circus? Right now, his memories of his previous home were not as happy as they had once been.

Tears slipped down his cheeks, but his arm flew up just as quickly as they fell, scrubbing furiously against his pale skin.

Bad memories ran threw his mind as if someone had opened his subconscious flood gates.

His eyes obliged.

Alone. He was alone.

.."Young Master?... I figured you would be awake. I don't know your preference on chocolate-"

Baby blues widened in surprise as the boy lifted his head, meeting a sight that, oddly enough, provided quite a deal of comfort.

Alfred, the manor's resident butler stood at the door, hands carefully balancing a shiny silver tray. He advanced forward swiftly, the dim hall light tracing his silhouette in dark shadows. Light glimmered off the corners of the tray as he set it down on the night stand by the boy's bed. Richard peeked over his arms after the smell hit him.

"They're just chocolate chip. A family recipe, quite old if I do say." The man stuck a gloved hand into his coat pocket, producing a small handkerchief that he quietly passed on to the boy. "I wouldn't recommend letting Master Bruce in on this. He wouldn't approve of sweets after bed, I suspect. Usually I wouldn't either, but I decided that a little rule breaking wouldn't hurt. Do have a good night, Master Richard. Off to sleep in a hurry, I would hope." Alfred offered a warm smile, and then he was gone.

Richard blinked, staring at the closed door for a quiet moment, and then studying the small bit of cloth in his hands, sweeping it under his puffy orbs.

He huffed out a calming breath, gaining back that sliver of control he relied on and clung to so dearly.

The sweet smell invaded his thoughts seconds later. His bright eyes flitted over to the plate.

The cookies did look really good.

The young boy reached out a tiny hand, carefully clasping around one of the warm treats the man had left for him.

He nibbled around the edges experimentally, not really sure what to expect.

Really, that's all it took.

'_John Grayson ducked into the acrobat's trailer, carrying a young Richard piggyback up to the tiny kitchen. The ebony haired boy squealed with delight as he watched Mary Grayson pull a fresh tray of triple chunk chocolate chip cookies out from the oven. The sides were singed the color of charcoal, the middles a tad squishy, but that didn't matter. Cookies were a rarity for the flying Grayson's, saved for special occasions… and after dinner on those occasions. That didn't stop both of the Grayson boys from reaching a hand out pleadingly, identical pouts worn on their faces. Mary sighed, rolling her eyes and kissing her husband on the cheek as she handed them both a chocolaty treat. Richard flipped off of his father's broad shoulders, landing smoothly. He hugged Mary around the legs tightly, smiling around the dessert sticking out of his mouth. "thanks mamica!" the blonde smiled, ruffling the boy's dark locks. "Of course, putin pasara. An official member of the Flying Grayson's has to be welcomed properly, wouldn't you say?" the three had spent the night celebrating, and Richard had been so hyped up on sugar and good news, he hadn't slept a bit. The authentic start of his acrobat career with Hailey's circus' _His happy memory.

Richard Grayson would not see his parents again. He would not be a traveling acrobat. He would cry himself to sleep. He would have nightmares. He would miss his circus family.

But, one freshly baked chocolate chip cookie and the kindness of a certain knowing butler allowed the boy to smile for the first time in weeks.

-**Arrow.**


	14. Superman- The babysitter part 2

He was a meta- human. Superman, the man of tomorrow, the man of freaking steel! How many times had he seen someone in a situation that posed a threat, faced a day packed with danger before he could even greet Louis with morning coffee, or hurled an unconscious baddie halfway to mars?

Pshh. Is that rhetorical, or did he actually have to average that up?

Good.

He counted anyway. It was almost every day! And that didn't even include cats! Those little ninjas were pros at going _up_..it was the down part that caused all the problems. But he always swooped in and pulled the hissy fur balls from their towers, depositing them safely into the waiting arms of those ever present watery eyed little girls, or grateful elderly women, or…ah...occasional gentleman with a questionable fear of trees. …erm.. point is, Clark Kent helps people, almost as frequently as he breaths air. It was his job, and he wouldn't trade it for the world. (Unless he had to. Hypothetically speaking.)

He was used to the adrenaline, used to the situations that were often life or death.

So why did the dread settle in so thickly at the scene he was met with after snapping his phone shut?

Why did seeing that familiar mop of raven locks so…high…up… oh god.

And then he was falling, tucking his legs in to gain momentum and performing summersaults almost as fast as Clark's stomach was.

Really, he should have seen this coming.

He knew the boy's past with acrobatics. He probably did this type of think all the time, probably _had_ done this type of thing even higher off the ground before.

But Clark's brain doesn't work like that. The red flags kicked into high gear before he could process the facts, and his actions started up as soon as the boy uncurled himself and braced for landing.

Before he knew what he was doing, his feet were off the ground, and his hand was curled tightly around the six year old's ankle.

Heh.

Looking back on it, things could have gone differently.

Clark could have let Louis's call go to his voicemail. He could have made sure that there was something to hold the boy's attention for that single five minutes that his back was turned. Better yet, he could have super glued the fidgety kid straight to the couch… and then be declared the worst babysitter in the history of baby…sitting.

Well, as long as he was listing mistakes, he _could_ have listened to Oliver Queen before he came over instead of just laughing him off. _'Trust me. When it comes to kids, sugar is your worst enemy."_

And, he _could_ have noticed one tiny little detail that his panic induced mind might have missed.

The couch. The nice, soft, plushy couch was positioned damn near perfectly to serve as a cushioned landing pad for tiny acrobats. Not to mention the litter of pillows that had been dumped off of the furniture and scattered around the perimeter, just in case the blue eyed boy overshot his flips.

But no. these details couldn't possibly be taken into account! That would have been far too easy!

And look! Here's Bruce, waltzing right into the living room an hour earlier than he was due back, because of course, midday traffic is taking the day off, for the first time in Gotham's flipping history!

And there's only one logical reason for all of this misfortune.

"…Clark." There it was. The Batman tone, sealing his doom.

Why not? It just helps to prove the point.

"Would you mind explaining to me…why my son is…"

Then, that tiny voice piped up, taking everything in from the floor up with wide blue orbs.

"Oh… my.."

And Clark was frozen in midair, staring dumbly as Bruce's jaw clenched tight and his navy eyes darkened with anger.

Yupp.

It's official.

The universe hates Clark Kent.

XxXx

"Oof!" Frigid slush smacked across the side of his face, rolling off the lens of his glasses and down his cheek. The man shuddered, reaching a gloved hand up to clear his vision.

He peered to the side, catching glimpse of the giggling six year old ducking down under a shallow snow bank. Clark smiled, trailing forward slowly, boots crunching in the fluffy white blanket that covered the lawn. His ears picked up the sounds of the boy scuffling around, pressing more balls of ice with his mitten covered hands.

Kent glanced down quickly, pressing his fingers into the pristine fluff of untouched snow and scooping up a pile of his own. The man squeezed his hands together, forming a perfect ball of cold. Of course, he couldn't throw this at the kid (the perks of super strength.)but… -his eyes trained on one of the tall pines surrounding the yard, smirking mischievously- he could find an alternative.

Richard popped up around the bank, the ebony locks poking out from under his knitted hat contrasting heavily with their light surroundings. Clark grinned, waving the hand that held his perfect snowball and pulling his arm back like he was going to throw it. Dick's eyes widened, and he ducked back down under his protective wall. Kent's smile widened.

Perfect.

The man turned directions, aiming for the closest tree, which happened to be quite close to Richard's hideout, and launching the icy ball with a little more force than he needed. None the less, it still did the trick.

The tree shuddered, shaking its branches with the same force as the hit. The pine needles, once weighed down with excess snow, were wiped clean, dumping a fresh batch of fluffy snow directly over Richard's fort.

It was quite for a long moment, and then "ACK! CLARK!"

Richard crawled out from under the light pile of snow, shaking his head to send the icy bits flying. He got back up to his feet, still covered in flakes of snow, and crossed him arms, pouting. "That wasn't fair."

Clark laughed, shaking his head. "Never in the rules, buddy." That earned him another snowball to the face.

When he cleared his glasses, Richard had started to make a run for it. The sky above them had turned a deeper shade of gray, and the wind was blowing through with a nasty chill. Clark ran forward, grabbing the back of the boy's puffy jacket before he could escape back to his bank.

"Woah. I think it's time we head back inside. Looks like the snows coming back for another round. "

Richard sighed. "aww."

Upon closer inspection, it was easy to see the shudders traveling through the boy's tiny body. His cheeks were bright red, as well as his nose, making his eyes look impossibly brighter. Going back in to the heat with a cup of hot chocolate really wouldn't be a bad idea for the kid.

He smiled, gently pulling the boy towards the front of the mansion. Their boots trudged through the snow with loud crunches, leaving being two sets of twisting footprints.

When they got to steps, Clark paused.

"Oh! Almost forgot! Your present's still in my car."

Richard's eyes lit up like the sun. "I get to have it?"

Clark chuckled, making his back down the icy steps carefully and popping his car door open.

"Yeah. You nailed me with a couple of good snowballs. I'd say you're brave enough."

The raven haired boy whooped from his spot, excitement dominating his face.

Clark laughed, ducking into the car and briefly rummaging around the back seat. When he emerged again, his hand was full of dark red fabric. That sparked the boy's interest.

Clark climbed back up the stairs, ignoring the boy's curious looks and attempting a straight face as he pulled the heavy door open and let the tiny acrobat back inside. The gush of warm air felt absolutely amazing, but the rapid change in temperature made the boy shake like a leave.

Quickly, the two shed their damp jackets and heavy boots, leaving everything on hooks by the entry to dry.

When the man turned around, Richard was looking up at him, enthusiasm barely contained on his features. Clark smiled, kneeling down beside the boy and unraveling the velvety fabric. He grabbed the ended and leaned forward, carefully fastening the snaps around the boy's shoulders. Richard gasped.

It was a cape.

"Bruce tells me you've been running around with a blanket tied around your shoulders. But hey, a genuine superhero needs a genuine cape, right?"

The boy smiled his broadest smile, hugging Clark's neck in a death grip. This was one of the best presents he had ever gotten.

"Thank you!" he cried excitedly, releasing the man to run through the hall, testing out his new present.

Kent smiled, following the six year old into the toasty living room, where he ran circles around the couch. The reporter would have to thank Louis for making the child sized cape at such short notice. She would get a kick out of hearing how happy it made Richard.

And speaking of Louis, because she must have some sort of mind reading abilities, his cell phone buzzed loudly from his pocket. Richard giggled, jumping onto the couch with a grin. The cherry colored cape fluttered behind his back. Clark smiled, sparing the boy one last glance before he fished the device out, flipping it open with a cheery 'hello?'

Richard watched as Clark spun around, pacing the floor in the absent way that most people do when they talk on the phone. A voice that was very much female buzzed from the speakers, causing the man to run a nervous hand through his dark hair.

Hm.

The boy glanced down at his cape, watching it swish around. It was going to look awesome when he practiced his acrobatics.

.. Maybe he could surprise Clark and show him one of his new flips, as a thank you for the cape! Then he could test it out right now!

The boy ran up the steps as fast as he could, skipping two at a time to make it up before the man turned. He looked up, wide blue eyes focusing on the chandelier. Last time he did this, the drywall on the ceiling cracked.

_That must be what all those extra bolts are for._

Richard grinned, adrenaline pumping fast through his veins.

He ran back, steadying his feet on the wooden floors.

And then he vaulted himself through the air, cape rustling out behind him.

He felt like he was really flying.

His legs hooked onto the now sturdier chandelier, crystals tinking as they clicked together.

He steadied himself, eyes on his safe spot.

He held out his arms, spread like a bird ready to take flight.

And he let go.

**Author's Note:**

**Hey! Poor Clark haha. Richard had good intentions..he just..gave the man a mild heart attack.**

**(the next chapter should be up a few minutes after this. The author's note on that one explains what happened to these chapters, etc.)**

**Thank you thank you! Review it up! I love 'em!**

**Until next chapter!..which is like, 5 minutes.**

**-Arrow. **

***Special thanks to yumisaurous for the awesome chapter idea! It was so much fun to write! ..hehe. sorry Clark.***


	15. Meet Wally- Part 1

A small ebony haired boy bounced happily in his seat, blue eyes bright with energy. His dark locks were beyond tousled from sleep; pieces of his normally jagged fringe poking straight up, the rest falling in front of his eyes. It was about seven o'clock on a Saturday morning, and Alfred had already started one of Richard's favorite weekend traditions: Pancakes. The smell that wafted through the air was practically making him drool. The young acrobat had been sitting on one of the tall kitchen stools since he had woken up, gaze fixed on the fluffy treats, an eager smile edged onto his face. Alfred slid the spatula under the one Dick had called for himself and flipped it over, revealing the crispy golden underside. The boy swung his legs under the glossy counter, planning out how much syrup he could dump on the pancake without it growing soggy as he pulled a long sip from his glass of milk.

"-ight. but I don't think… well, no, but-" Bruce's voice floated down from the stairs, signaling his approach. Without looking, Richard could already tell you that his foster father was dressed in one of his many "casual" suits, steaming coffee and car keys in hand. This was normally the time that Bruce started his morning commute, and Richard was always awake to say goodbye, no matter how tired he was. This was another tradition in the manor, but it wasn't one that the boy was particularly fond of.

Sure, Bruce was technically in charge of Wayne towers, and that was really cool...but work on a Saturday? Where was the justice?

"Listen, Barry- no I just-" the billionaire's voice was starting to grow weary, almost like he was losing his resolve.

Richard scrunched his eyebrows, sending a questioning look Alfred's way. Barry? The name didn't sound familiar to the boy. Maybe a work colleague?

Alfred just gave the boy a look that seemed to say "Don't ask." as he shook his head, casually trailing his eyes over the counter in search of the Tylenol Bruce had left out the night before. The man was going to need a pill or two by the time that call was over, he was sure of it.

The butler's suspicions were confirmed as soon as he heard the first of many agitated sighs.

"No, this isn't about the soda you spilled on the-oh really? I don't recall you cleaning it up. No... no. ..no. …no. Barry, I have to be in at- I really can't.."

They could hear his footsteps, accompanied by the soft creaking of the loose plank on the top of the stairs. Bruce was pacing, another telltale sign of his growing annoyance.

Now Richard was seriously curious. There really weren't that many things that could make Bruce lose his temper so quickly.

Okay. Nevermind…but he still wanted to know what was up.

Abandoning the breakfast he had so patiently been hawking over, the boy hopped down from his stool and snuck carefully to the doorway of the kitchen. Being Batman's ward, the kid had picked up a few tips on stealth. Well, a 7 year old's version of stealth anyway, but it still counts.

The mop of raven hair popped around the corner silently, blue eyes narrowing quizzically as his ears strained to pick up bits of the conversation. Bruce's shoes kept a steady pace across the stairs, echoing through the foyer. From his phone, a slur of jumbled garb buzzed through the speakers. Richard was too far away to hear everything, and the person on the line was talking with such speed that it was nearly impossible to pick up more than a few words.

_"please" "owe you" "quiet" "promise"_ was all he got. What the heck were they talking about?

The boy leaned forward, holding one leg out behind him to gather some balance.

_"trust me" "great kid" "no trouble" "one time deal" "promise"_

Dick's eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his wild fringe. A kid? Whose kid? Maybe Roy was coming over! They still had a rematch round to finish on his racing game. Maybe Roy would bring that other game he said he would let him borrow. That would be awesome! But.. It doesn't really sound like Ollie on the phone.

Hmmmm..

_Oh! They're talking again!_

He leaned forward even further, curling his hands around the door frame to steady his leg. This "sneaking around" stuff was a lot of work.

"Barry, I'm sorry. I really don't think I can help you out-"

_Help who out?_

" ...well, no, but.."

_But? But what?_

".. Are you sure?"

One very tense pause later, Bruce let out a heavily defeated sigh.

"...Okay. -wait! Hold on. Just let me ask Richard first. I was supposed to take him down to the ice cream shop after work." Blue eyes widened in panic as the billionaire's shoes tapped down the stairs.

_Darn it darn it darn it! I can't get caught! Stealthy people never get caught! Think ninja... Think ninja!_

"...shut up. _Batman_ doesn't eat ice cream.- yeah yeah. Laugh it up."

The boy ducked his head back around the corner, spinning on his heel quickly.

... and slipping on the wooden floor just as fast.

"WOOOAH!" The cry escaped the boy's lips before he could stop it. His small hands reached out frantically, hoping to grab onto something, but there was nothing to stop the ground from rushing towards his face. One millisecond later, Richard was on his stomach, the muffled thud ringing out just as Bruce turned the corner.

_So much for being a ninja..._

"Master Richard! Are you alright?" Alfred cried in surprise, dropping his spatula. He started forward, concern etched over his features, but Bruce beat him there and had the boy up in record time.

"Richard! What in the world were-" he paused, hard expression melting away as the boy carefully lifted his tiny hand, rubbing his nose with watery eyes.

_"um..Earth to Bruce! I heard that thud. Richard ok? Do you want me to-"_

Wayne rubbed his forehead, an exhausted look growing in his navy eyes as he positioned his blackberry back over his ear. "Just come on over Allen. Before I change my mind."

xXxX

Richard jumped when the door bell sounded, not a minute after Bruce had pulled out of the driveway. The deep chimes echoed through the living room and carried down the halls, alerting Alfred from whatever room he had been meticulously dusting moments before.

"Not a muscle, Master Richard. I've got the door." He called, rounding the corner with his feather duster still in hand.

The boy sighed, wincing as his hand jostled the ice pack pressed to his nose. He curled back up on the couch, pulling his legs to his chest with his free arm. Little cartoon cats jumped around on the t.v screen, but he paid them no interest. Saturday cartoons were not as enjoyable when half of your face was throbbing and cold.

"Hey Alfred! Brucie leave already?" The bright voice sounded through the foyer, drawing the boy's attention. Richard crawled around carefully, resting his arms on the back of the sofa as Alfred lead the mystery guy down the hall.

"I'm afraid so, Master Allen. Rather busy with meetings, he is. Master Richard is around the corner if you want to-"

"Oh yeah. Totally. Thanks Alfred!"

Well, he sounded friendly enough. Dick pulled the icy cloth away carefully, testing out the pain.

_-Ouch ouch ouuuuuch. Yeah. Nope. That's not going to work_

"Master Richard, I suggest you hold that on for a while longer. You be quite unhappy with the bruise if you don't…not to mention Master Bruce."

The boy's lips pulled into a pout as he looked up. Alfred could ninja around like a pro, why couldn't he?

"Master Richard, this is Mister Allen. Mister Allen, this is Master Richard. Took a bit of a spill this morning, I'm sure you heard."

The man was really lanky, with honey blonde hair that looked as if it had been styled by the wind. He was dressed pretty casually; faded jeans, blue button up with cuffed sleeves, worn out Nikes. A plastic bag was hooked carefully around one arm- which was hooked, as well as his other arm, around two short pairs of legs.

_Wait..what?_

"_Great kid" "promise" "one time deal" "owe you"_

"_Great kid"_

…

The man smiled a toothy grin, pulling Richard out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, we already me- ah" Alfred raised an eyebrow quickly, shooting "Mister Allen" a look before he could catch himself.

The man chuckled nervously, shifting his arms to better support of whoever he was carrying.

"um, I uh- I heard about yourfallbeforehopeyourokayimeannotthatyouwouldn' ...-I brought ice cream!"

The ebony haired boy perked, totally ignoring the lightning round of speech. "Really?" he peeped, speaking around the ice pack.

The blonde nodded, relief flooding his eyes. "Yeah!" He shook his arm, rustling the grocery bag hanging from it. "I wasn't sure what flavor..but I figured I would bring you some since it's kind of my fault that Bruce can't take you later.." he finished, looking sheepish. Behind his head, a huge yawn drifted forward, and the freckled arms around his neck shifted and tightened their grip.

"Oh! Jeez. Almost forgot about you, kid." Mister Allen laughed, turning sideways and nodding his head backwards. A small boy about Richard's age slept soundly on his back, head curled up into the man's shoulder. Now that the blonde had turned, the kid was almost impossible not to notice. His hair was a shock of fiery red locks, and dozens more tiny freckles danced across his cheeks.

"This is my nephew, Wally! He's gonna be hanging out with you today, since Brucie boy was kind enough to offer. Ha-ha. Okay, he didn't exactly _offer_, but still-" he paused, turning to Alfred with an honest smile.

"If Bruce isn't back by the time I come to pick Wally up, tell him I said thanks again. You guys are _really_ helping me out. You don't know how long Iris has been looking forward to this anniversary dinner."

Alfred nodded. "It's no trouble at all. I'll pass your message along to Master Bruce."

Mister Allen grinned. "Thanks." He turned back to Richard, who had pulled the ice off of his slightly reddened nose to rest his head on his arms. His blue orbs drooped slightly and Barry frowned. Poor kid. Why was he up so early on a Saturday? The blonde literally had to drag Wally out of bed this morning, who was so out of it that he fell asleep_ halfway _down the stairs. Just passed out, right on the stair rail! And guess who had to clean up the drool? That's right!... Iris.

"You can put him anywhere, Master Allen. I'm sure Master Richard wouldn't might another hour or so of sleep himself." The butler chuckled quietly, sending Dick a pointed look. As if on cue, the boy sighed out a quiet, but noticeable yawn.

Barry nodded. "Right. Mkay." The man walked around to the front of the couch, kneeling down and carefully loosening his nephew's grip on his neck. The redhead sighed in his sleep, shifting off the man's back and falling back onto the cushions. Barry smiled, ruffling the boy's wild fringe before standing and doing the same to Richard, who was starting to drift of himself.

"Nice meeting you Richard. I'll be back to pick up Wally in a few. Take care of him for me, k?"

Dick lifted his head, sending the man a lazy smile and a wave. "k. bye, Mister Allen."

The blonde laughed. "Jeez. So formal. Call me Barry. I think we're on 'ice- cream- bonding- first- name-basis' don't cha' think?"

Richard giggled. "Depends what flavor you brought."

Barry smirked, sending the boy a sly smile. "Strawberry."

The blue eyed boy nodded, holding out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Barry!"

The blonde fist bumped the air, toothy grin lighting up his features. "Yes! Got it right! That's Wally favorite flavor too.. the kid'll eat basically anything sugar -ha." He reached forward and shook Richard's tiny hand, then turned and tipped an imaginary hat, throwing a mock western voice.

"I'll mosey on back around sundown. Tell Wally to mind his manors."

Alfred turned to lead Barry out, who threw one more friendly wave to the drowsy acrobat before leaning down and passing the older a quiet tip of "_Note for the road: Wally West on sugar, run for your life."_

Richard waited until the front door opened and clicked shut before sinking back onto the couch. Beside him, the freckled boy rolled over, curling up on the cushions with a loud snore. The blue eyed boy raised an eyebrow, suppressing a giggle when the boy sighed a slurred sentence along the lines of "-ack off. Mhiy chocolate mil.."

The throbbing sensation returned to his nose before the boy had proper time to judge if he should draw on the redhead's face or not. Roy had shown him a really funny picture he had snapped on his phone after pulling the same stunt on Ollie. Definitely high on his to-do list. He just hadn't found a victim yet.

Gingerly, the ebony haired boy pressed the ice back over his nose, settling into the far corner of the sofa with a nestle of blankets that he had brought down from his bed earlier in the morning. The t.v. screen danced with colors, some sort of cheery theme song buzzing out of the speakers.

After a while, the boy was once again aware of how early it actually was. Sighing out a yawn, Richard started to bundle up the blankets around his little corner when he remembered the annoying ice pack. Odds are, if he fell asleep he would most likely drop it somewhere and the ice would melt through the cloth and onto the couch… And he really didn't feel like rolling into a puddle and looking like he wet himself of something.

Picking up his favorite blanket, a fluffy black fleece with bright yellow bats, he wrapped it around his shoulders like a cape and ran to drop the pack in the kitchen sink. When he came back, he noticed the slight glow of the rising sun outside the windows. Why does Bruce have to leave so early?

The boy shuffled back to the couch, blanket dragging behind his feet. His heavy blue eyes trained longingly on his little nest **(A/N: hehe.I'm so puny :3 )** but before he could make it there,the boy on the couch spoke up again unconsciously, pulling his attention. "Can't ee seriusss. Ere r nooo choclatee cows.." he sighed, scrunching up his freckled face as he tucked his arms close to his body.

Richard paused, pursing his lips. He glanced down at his warm fleece, then back at the redhead. This was his favorite blanket, but it was the warmest one he had, and he still had all the other fleeces to curl up wouldn't be fair to hog all the blankets like that.

_Plus, Alffie did tell me that to be a superhero, you have to do lots of good deeds for other people.._

Richard sighed quietly, making up his mind and slipping the blanket off his shoulders. He crept forward silently, and carefully draped the fleece over the sleeping boy's form. The redhead slurred out something, and then snuggled into the fabric with a tiny smile. **(too cliché? Of warm fuzzies? Let's go with warm fuzzies.. :)**

The raven haired boy smiled, turning away and clicking the t.v. off. Silence rang out around the room and goose bumps rose on his arms; he felt the absence of warmth already. Quickly, the acrobat padded across the chilly wooden floors and climbed back onto the couch, retreating to his corner and snuggling into the soft fabrics that wrapped around his body.

He was asleep a few minutes later, drifting off with the final thought of _'I really hope he doesn't drool on my blanket.'_

**Author's incredibly tired yet super excited note!:**

**Hi! Well, it's 2:03 AM and I just finished the last paragraph of this chapter. I feel much like the boys do right now, and would love to curl up into my own nest of blankets right now, but I cannot! I have words to type!**

**-Where in the world have you been? I thought you got like, abducted by the Joker and was being held in some kind of creepy warehouse with no access to your laptop!**

…**um, I was. But I explained to him that I needed to finish my chapters and he let me go for the time being. Very understanding guy.**

**Heh. No, but really. It's been a while and I feel horrible. Summer is on its way and hopefully it will bring quicker updates! **

**I had issues..with my writing..juices. :P I started both chapters, took a freaking unnecessarily long break, and then finished them after replenishing my juice supply. S'all good now!**

**This is going to have a part two by the way. I gotta leave you hanging again and I'm sorry! It just got so long and. Well, this is still really long. Oh jeez.**

**okI'mgonnagonowbutthankyouforstickingwithmepleaser eviewIusethemtokeeptheJokeratbayandIreallydon'twan nagobacktothatplace*shudder* -Arrow.**

***Keep Boston and Texas in your thoughts. 3***


	16. Clarity

**Author's Note* I wanted to have a heart to heart with you guys; my readers, the people that kept my stories alive and came back for my updates even when they took months on end. I couldn't tell you how much I appreciate all of it. I write about Young Justice. I write about Batman. I write about Robin. It's one of the best feelings in the world to share your writing and hear something positive in return. Last summer, I took a risk. I wrote my first story with all the apprehension and nervousness that a rookie could muster, for the purpose of borrowing a group of characters that I loved and creating something that I, (and we, luckily) could work on and grow and enjoy.**

**It was awesome. And it still **_**is **_**awesome. (I know I'm probably freaking some people out right now xD )**

**It's just so scary to feel like your fandom is dying out.**

**Young Justice is over. The characters grew up and the team changed and that's it. **

**Does that have to be it?**

**(This is some heavy stuff, I know. I had a long car ride yesterday and it's been on my mind for a while.)**

**Has everyone moved on?**

**I don't want to move on yet. **

**This makes Arrow sad! This makes Arrow talk in 3****rd**** person!**

**I'm not ready to give up on the characters. I want to keep them alive. Do you?**

**Sometimes, when I write, I feel like I just can't capture the characters the way that the show could. The way that other authors could. There are writers on this site that are absolutely amazing. Without words,just..phenomenal. They keep our fandom alive. They do what I can't. They step into the personalities, while I simply step into shoes. And it sucks to see these authors deciding to part ways with Young Justice, because they do a better job writing about than I ever could.**

**Should we keep it alive?**

**Personally, I feel like I'm very reliant on the characters now. Whenever I have a bad day, I come home and write and I feel better. I'm not ready to give up just yet. **

**I don't know if that's the right thing, and I don't know if anyone else feels the same way.**

**I'm going to take another risk. Just one more time. And I don't know what's going to come from it. **

**I have a story in the works. About Young Justice's first team. It's completely out of my comfort zone, but writing the first chapter gave me a different thought process about the show ending. It made me think about all the amazing moments that created the fandom, and how much I enjoyed the series as a whole. The final episode was heart breaking in many many ways. But it made me think about how much I wanted to preserve all of the good, instead of dwelling on the bad. **

**The heroes of Young Justice will always be around, a fact that we can all be happy about. Their format might change, but they'll still be around.**

**Would you guys stick around?**

**Let me know what you think. I feel like we've been avoiding this topic for a bit. Time for some clarity. (hehe. Sounds like couples counseling)(sorry. Serious Arrow, serious!)**

**I don't know. I guess we'll just see what happens.**

**PM your thoughts. I'm curious.**

**Thank you for reading this. I appreciate it.**

**Until- whenever. I'm not sure yet. (surprise surprise right?)**

**-Arrow.**

***thank you to LuVySoNy,yuu101cutie,ARL15,ShadowMist62442, and ShadowlightStarlight for keeping the Joker off my back. Dude's persistent for reviews . ***


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